3a9l عقل
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3a9l” (عقل) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning mind, reason, intelligence.
Meanings
- mind, reason, intelligence
- wisdom, good sense, maturity
Usage
The word 3a9l (often pronounced 3a9el) means the mind, reason, the ability to think. It is almost always used with a possessive: 3a9li (my mind), 3a9lek (your mind). It appears in many expressions: 3andou 3a9el (he is sensible, level-headed), mech fi 3a9lou (he is not in his right mind) or khaw 3a9lou (he charmed him, he bamboozled him). The adjective 3a9el means "wise, sensible", especially for a child. The word covers "head", "reason" and "wisdom" all at once.
Example
ﻭلاﻮا ﺗﻔﺘﺢ ﻋﻘله تلاقي حمار صغير متمد
wlw tfta7 39lh tla9i 7mar sghir mtmadd
“Or you open his mind and find a small donkey stretched out.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3a9l” but also “3a9el”, “39al”, “3akl” and “aql”. 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; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “3a9l” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “mind, reason, intelligence”; “common sense, wisdom”: 39el in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “mind, intelligence”; “reason, common sense”: 3qel in Algerian.