m7boub محبوب
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“m7boub” (محبوب) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning loved, well-liked.
Meanings
- loved, well-liked
- popular, well regarded
Usage
M7boub describes a person whom those around them love and appreciate: a child cherished by the family, a neighbour well regarded in the neighbourhood, a popular colleague. It is often built with "rah" at the start (rah m7boub) and with "m3a" or "f" to specify the setting: m7boub m3a nnas, m7boub f l7ouma. The feminine is m7bouba and the plural m7boubin. Watch out: the word describes affection received, not charm or good looks. So it does not translate "cute" or "adorable". It is also used for a singer or player the public likes.
Example
راه محبوب هاد ديري وست عائلتو
rah m7bob had deri west 3a2iltou
“This boy is loved within his family.”
Forms
| feminine | m7boba |
|---|---|
| plural | m7bobin |
| feminine plural | m7bobat |
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 “m7boub” but also “m7bob”, “ma7boub”, “mahboub” and “m7bouba”. 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.
Type “m7boub” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “loved, well-liked”; “endearing, likeable”: mahboub in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “loved, liked by people”; “likeable, endearing”: ma7boub in Tunisian.