sshal السهال
Moroccan Darija · noun
“sshal” (السهال) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning diarrhea.
Meanings
- diarrhea
Usage
Sshal is the usual word for diarrhea. It is used in a neutral register, notably at the doctor's or the pharmacy, and when talking about sick children. The typical construction is "jani sshal" or "3ndi sshal", I have diarrhea. One also says "kerchi mserrya", which is more colloquial and vivid. The word is not vulgar, but people avoid dwelling on the subject in public. In arabizi, the "h" is often written with the digit 8 or simply as h. At the pharmacist's, you ask "chi dwa dyal sshal".
Example
الدري جاه السهال من البارح
ddrri jah sshal mn lbare7
“The little one has had diarrhea since yesterday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sshal” but also “ss8al”, “shal”, “ssehal” and “s8al”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.