mostach موسطاش
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mostach” (موسطاش) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning moustache.
Meanings
- moustache
Usage
Mostach is a loanword adapted from French "moustache". It is very common in conversation, especially in cities. It is masculine and used with the article: lmostach dyalou twil, "his moustache is long". One says rkhef lmostach, "to grow a moustache", and hesn lmostach, "to shave off one's moustache". The Arabic word chlaghem also exists and is heard more among older people or in a more traditional register. For the beard, a different word is used, lehya. An English speaker will easily recognize the term, but the pronunciation is shortened and the final vowel disappears.
Example
خلّى موسطاش كبير
khlla mostach kbir
“He's kept a big moustache.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mostach” but also “moustach”, “mustach”, “mostache” and “moustache”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.