3er9 عرق
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3er9” (عرق) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning vein, blood vessel.
Meanings
- vein, blood vessel
- sweat, perspiration
- root, origin
Usage
This word is written the same way in Arabic for two different meanings, distinguished only by pronunciation. 3er9 (plural 3rou9) means a vein, and by extension a plant root or family origin: 3er9ou tounsi ("he has Tunisian roots"). 3ra9 means sweat: labni el 3ra9 ("sweat covered me"). One also says 3ra9 jbini ("the sweat of my brow") for money earned honestly. In arabizi, the spelling varies (3er9, 3ar9, 3ra9). Context is therefore what tells you which meaning is intended.
Example
الفرملية لقات العرق متاعو بالشوية.
el fermlia l9at el 3er9 mte3ou bechwaya.
“The nurse found his vein only slowly.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3er9” but also “3ar9”, “3ere9”, “3ro9” and “3ra9”. 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 “3er9” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “vein, blood vessel”; “sweat”: 3er9 in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “vein, blood vessel”; “nerve, tendon (common usage)”: 3erq in Algerian.