tabachir طباشير
Moroccan Darija · noun
“tabachir” (طباشير) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning chalk (for writing).
Meanings
- chalk (for writing)
Usage
Tabachir means the chalk used for writing on a blackboard. The word belongs mainly to school vocabulary, and many adults associate it with memories of the classroom. It is generally used as a collective: tabachir means chalk in general. To speak of a single stick, you say wahed tabachir or an equivalent form. In conversation, "la craie" is also heard, said directly in French. The word is often pronounced tbachir, with the first vowel reduced. It does not refer to the limestone rock in the geological sense.
Example
الأستاذ كيكتب بالطباشير على السبورة
lostad kaykteb b tabachir 3la sbbora
“The teacher writes on the board with chalk.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tabachir” but also “tbachir”, “tabashir” and “tbashir”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.