ktef كتف
Moroccan Darija · noun
“ktef” (كتف) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning shoulder.
Meanings
- shoulder
Usage
Ktef is the usual word for the shoulder. The plural is ktaf. The word is used to talk about the body, about pain (ktfi kaydrni, "my shoulder hurts") or about carrying loads: hezz 3la ktfo, "to carry on one's shoulder". With a possessive, the vowel drops: ktfi, ktfek, ktfo. The word also appears in expressions about mutual help and support, such as ktef m3a ktef, "shoulder to shoulder". It belongs to the common, neutral register. It should not be confused with ktaf used as a verb in some regions, meaning "to tie up".
Example
كتفي كيضرني من البارح
ktfi kaydrni mn lbare7
“My shoulder has been hurting since yesterday.”
Forms
| plural | ktaf |
|---|
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ktef” but also “ktf”, “ktaf” and “kitf”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “ktef” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “shoulder”: ktef in Tunisian.