9a3 قاع
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9a3” (قاع) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning bottom (of a container, the sea).
Meanings
- bottom (of a container, the sea)
- floor, ground
Usage
9a3 means the lowest part of something: the bottom of a glass, a bottle, a well or the sea (9a3 lba7ar). It is also used for the floor of a room (9a3 eddar). It is almost always used in a construct state, directly followed by the noun: 9a3 el kés, 9a3 eddabbouza. Figuratively, it expresses the lowest point of a situation. Note: in Tunisia, 9a3 does not mean "all". That sense exists in other Maghrebi dialects, but it is foreign to everyday Tunisian usage.
Example
تغزر ال قاع ال كاس متاعك
toghzor l 9a3 el késs mte3ek
“You're looking at the bottom of your glass.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9a3” but also “qa3”, “ka3”, “9aa3” and “gaa3”. 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 “9a3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “bottom (of a container, well)”; “bottom of the sea, a river”: 9a3 in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “all, everyone, entirely”; “not at all (with negation)”: ga3 in Algerian.