3om9 عمق
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3om9” (عمق) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning depth (of ideas, feelings).
Meanings
- depth (of ideas, feelings)
- physical depth
Usage
The word 3om9 means depth. In Tunisian, it is used mainly in the figurative sense, to talk about a work, a speech or a person with substance: "fih 3om9", "barcha 3om9 fel kléém". The register is rather formal and close to standard Arabic: it is heard in comments about a series, a song or a text. For concrete depth, that of a well or the sea, it is still understood, but everyday language often prefers phrasing with the adjective ghar9 or questions like "9addéch ghar9?".
Example
المسلسل هذا فيه برشا عمق.
el moselsel hédha fih barcha 3om9.
“This series has a lot of depth.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3om9” but also “3omk” and “3omq”. 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 “3om9” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “depth”; “bottom, deep part”: 3om9 in Moroccan.