5al خال
Tunisian Derja · noun
“5al” (خال) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning maternal uncle.
Meanings
- maternal uncle
- mole (on the skin)
Usage
The word 5al refers to the mother's brother. It contrasts with 3am, the paternal uncle. The distinction is strict in Tunisia and should not be overlooked by an English speaker, for whom "uncle" covers both. In the feminine, 5ala is the maternal aunt. It is mostly used with a possessive: 5ali, "my uncle", 5alek, "your uncle". For cousins, one says wled 5ali, "my maternal uncle's children", and bent 5ali for a female cousin. The same word also means a mole on the skin, a rarer sense in everyday conversation.
Example
خالي ساكن في سوسة.
5ali sekin fi Sousse.
“My maternal uncle lives in Sousse.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5al” but also “khal”, “5ali” and “khali”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “5al” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “maternal uncle”; “mole, beauty spot”: khal in Moroccan.