mizan ميزان
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mizan” (ميزان) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning scale, weighing instrument.
Meanings
- scale, weighing instrument
- bathroom scale
- Libra (zodiac sign)
Usage
Mizan means any instrument used for weighing: the grocer's or market scale, and the bathroom scale at home. You say tle3 3la l-mizan for "step on the scale". The word appears in compounds, such as mizan l-ma (spirit level) or mizan l-7rara (thermometer). Figuratively, it evokes balance or justice, especially in a formal or religious register. For the astrological sign, l-mizan is also used. The plural mwazin is heard, but it is uncommon.
Example
طلع على الميزان نشوف شحال وليتي كتوزن
tle3 3la l-mizan nchouf ch7al wliti katwzen
“Step on the scale so we can see how much you weigh now.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mizan” but also “mizane” and “mizen”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mizan” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “scale (for weighing)”; “balance, measure”: mizan in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “scale, weighing instrument”; “thermometer (in mizen s5ana)”: mizen in Tunisian.