mn9ar منقار
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mn9ar” (منقار) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning bird's beak.
Meanings
- bird's beak
- big nose (jokingly)
Usage
Mn9ar refers to a bird's beak: a hen, pigeon or bird of prey. The word is common and neutral. It is used, for example, when talking about poultry farming or caged birds. In a joking tone, it can refer to a prominent nose, but this use remains mocking. It combines with possessives: mn9aru ("its beak"), mn9arha ("its beak", for a female bird). The most widespread plural is mnaqer. The letter 9 in the Latin spellings stands for the sound q. Depending on the region, this sound may be pronounced like a g.
Example
الطير ضربني بالمنقار ديالو
tir drbni b lmn9ar dyalo
“The bird struck me with its beak.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mn9ar” but also “men9ar”, “man9ar”, “manqar” and “mengar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “mn9ar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “beak of a bird”; “pointed tip”: min9ar in Tunisian.