kimmiya كمّية
Moroccan Darija · noun
“kimmiya” (كمّية) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning quantity.
Meanings
- quantity
- amount, sum
Usage
The word kimmiya refers to a measurable quantity: of goods, food or products. It is heard mostly at the market, in trade, at the pharmacy or in somewhat formal exchanges. It is generally definite, in the form lkimmiya, and often followed by an adjective: lkimmiya kbira ("large quantity"), lkimmiya qlila ("small quantity"). In ordinary conversation, people often prefer bzzaf ("a lot") or chwiya ("a little") to express quantity. The word belongs to a somewhat higher register, close to standard Arabic, but everyone understands it.
Example
الكمية قليلة بزاف، زيدني شوية
lkimmiya qlila bzzaf, zidni chwiya
“The quantity is too small, give me a bit more.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kimmiya” but also “kimmia”, “kimmya”, “kimmyya” and “kemmiya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kimmiya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “quantity, amount”; “so much (exclamatory)”: kamiya in Algerian.