3ar عار
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3ar” (عار) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning shame, dishonor.
Meanings
- shame, dishonor
- it's disgraceful! (exclamation)
Usage
3ar means shame in the moral and social sense, i.e. the dishonor that falls on a person or their family. It is often used alone as an exclamation: "3ar!" (this is scandalous). It also appears in "3ar 3lik" (shame on you) and "jabelna el 3ar" (he brought shame on us). In sports or political commentary, it is used to denounce a decision seen as unjust. The word is stronger than 7chouma, which refers more to embarrassment or modesty. A learner should therefore use it with caution, since it touches on honor.
Example
عار عليك، تحكي هكا مع أمّك؟
3ar 3lik, te7ki haka m3a ommek?
“Shame on you, is that how you talk to your mother?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ar” but also “3aar”, “aar” and “el3ar”. 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 “3ar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “shame, disgrace”; “plea for protection”: 3ar in Moroccan.