khti ختي

Moroccan Darija · noun

“khti” (ختي) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning my sister.

Meanings

1. my sister
2. my dear (friendly address)

Usage

Khti is the possessed form of ukht (sister), with the suffix -i ("my"). The primary meaning is familial: wlad khti are my nephews and nieces, my sister's children. The word is also very often used to address a woman or a friend, even without any family relationship: khti, 3afak (excuse me, miss / please, madam). In that case it is a mark of politeness or familiarity, comparable to "my dear" or "ma'am". The pitfall is to assume it always means a family tie. The masculine equivalent is khoya.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khti” but also “5ti”, “kheti” and “okhti”. 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.

Type “khti” on the Arabic keyboard

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “my sister”; “friendly term of address to a woman”: khti in Algerian.

How to say “my sister” in Moroccan and Algerian