ktaba كتبة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“ktaba” (كتبة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning writing, act of writing.
Meanings
- writing, act of writing
- handwriting, someone's writing
Usage
Lkteba means the act of writing: lkteba and lqraya, "writing and reading", are often contrasted. The word also means a person's way of writing, their handwriting: lkteba dyalu zwina, "he has nice handwriting". It is almost always used with the article. The form kitaba comes from Standard Arabic and is heard in a school or formal register. In conversation, ktaba and kteba are more natural.
Example
الكتبة ديالك ما كتتقراش
lkteba dyalek ma katteqrach
“Your handwriting can't be read.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ktaba” but also “kteba”, “ktba” and “kitaba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.