kher9a خرقة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“kher9a” (خرقة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning rag, piece of cloth.
Meanings
- rag, piece of cloth
- tatter, old worn cloth
Usage
Kher9a refers to a piece of cloth, usually a rag used for wiping or cleaning: jib chi kher9a, "bring a rag". The word suggests worthless cloth, worn out or cut from an old garment. The plural is khru9 or khr9at. The register is common and informal. Be careful not to confuse it with ghar9a, which means "deep" or "drowned" and is close to it in speech and in arabizi spelling. For a floor cloth, one more readily says jffaf.
Example
جيب شي خرقة نمسح الطبلة
jib chi kher9a nmse7 tabla
“Bring a rag so I can wipe the table.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kher9a” but also “khr9a”, “5er9a”, “khar9a” and “5r9a”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.