kouzan كوزان
Moroccan Darija · noun
“kouzan” (كوزان) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning cousin.
Meanings
- cousin
- buddy, mate (informal)
Usage
Kouzan is an adapted loanword from French cousin, very common in colloquial speech, especially among young people and in cities. It can mean a real cousin, without specifying which side of the family, unlike wld 3ammi or wld khali. It is also used to address a friend or a stranger in a friendly tone: "ach khbarek a kouzan ?". The feminine is kouzina, not to be confused with kouzina (kitchen); only context tells them apart. The register is informal, to be avoided in formal settings.
Example
هادا الكوزان ديالي جا من فرنسا
hada lkouzan dyali ja mn fransa
“This is my cousin, he came from France.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kouzan” but also “kozan”, “kuzan” and “kouzane”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.