l7la9em لحلاقم
Moroccan Darija · noun
“l7la9em” (لحلاقم) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning tonsils.
Meanings
- tonsils
- throat (pain, inflammation)
Usage
L7la9em refers to the tonsils and, by extension, the throat when it is inflamed. The word is almost always used in the plural with the article. It is used mainly to talk about sore throats: "kaydrouni l7la9em" (I have a sore throat, my tonsils hurt), "tla3o lih l7la9em" (he has tonsillitis), "dar l'opération dyal l7la9em" (he had his tonsils removed). It is an everyday word, very common among parents talking about their children's health. For the throat in general, outside illness, one says "l7el9" instead.
Example
ماكانحملش يدروني لحلاقم
makan7melch ydrouni l7la9em
“I can't stand it, my tonsils hurt.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “l7la9em” but also “l7la9m” and “le7la9em”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.