z3fran زعفران
Moroccan Darija · noun
“z3fran” (زعفران) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning saffron.
Meanings
- saffron
- yellow food colouring
Usage
Z3fran means saffron, the spice taken from the stigmas of the crocus flower, widely used in tajines, couscous and harira. To distinguish the real spice, people say z3fran l7orr (pure saffron). In everyday use, the word can also mean the cheap yellow colouring used to colour dishes. The first meaning remains the most frequent, and context resolves the ambiguity. It is a collective noun: one asks for chwiya (a little).
Example
كاين عندك زعفران؟
kayn 3ndk za3fran?
“Do you have saffron?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “z3fran” but also “za3fran”, “z3efran”, “z3afran” and “ze3fran”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “z3fran” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “saffron”; “yellow colorant sold as saffron”: za3fran in Algerian.