nakhla نخلة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“nakhla” (نخلة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning date palm.
Meanings
- date palm
- palm tree (in general)
Usage
Nakhla means the date palm, typical of the oases of the South (Tafilalet, Drâa) and very present in cities, such as Marrakech. The collective is nkhel, "palm trees" or "a palm grove", and dates are called tmer. The word is often used as an image for a very tall person, notably in the mocking saying "ṭoul ṭoul nakhla w l3qel 3qel beghla", which contrasts great height with limited intelligence. Be careful not to confuse it with n7la (bee).
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nakhla” but also “nkhla”, “na5la”, “nekhla” and “ne5la”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “nakhla” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “date palm”; “palm tree (in general)”: nakhla in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “palm tree, date palm”: nakhla in Tunisian.