mandarin ماندرين
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mandarin” (ماندرين) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning mandarin (fruit).
Meanings
- mandarin (fruit)
Usage
Mandarin means the mandarin orange. It is a well-integrated loanword, used with the article: lmandarin. It is distinguished from limoun or l-letchin (orange), depending on the region. The word is often used as a collective: chrit lmandarin "I bought mandarins". For a single fruit, one says mandarina, or wa7d l7abba d lmandarin. It is heard everywhere in the market, especially in winter, the fruit's season in Morocco.
Example
شريت كيلو ديال الماندرين
chrit kilo dyal lmandarin
“I bought a kilo of mandarins.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mandarin” but also “mandarine” and “mandarina”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.