5ale9 خالق
Tunisian Derja · noun
“5ale9” (خالق) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning the Creator, God.
Meanings
- the Creator, God
- one who creates
Usage
The word 5ale9 is used mainly in a religious register to refer to God: el 5ale9, rabbi el 5ale9, "the Creator". It is heard in phrases like el mout b yed el 5ale9, "death is in the hands of the Creator", or to remind that everything depends on God. It is rarely applied to a human being. Pitfall: do not confuse it with 5al9a, which means "face" or "look" in Tunisian (5al9tou, "his head, his face"). The two words share the same root, but their meaning and register have nothing to do with each other.
Example
كل شي بيد الخالق.
kol chay b yed el 5ale9.
“Everything is in the hands of the Creator.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5ale9” but also “khale9”, “khaleq”, “5aleq” and “khalek”. 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; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.