9a3r قعر
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9a3r” (قعر) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning bottom (of a container, well).
Meanings
- bottom (of a container, well)
- deepest part
Usage
The word 9a3r refers to the bottom of a container or hollow: the bottom of a jar, a pot, a well, a glass. It is almost always used with a complement: 9a3r el khabia (the bottom of the jar), 9a3r el bir (the bottom of the well). It is also used figuratively for what is at the very bottom, hidden or hard to reach. Note that 9a3r is not used for "the bottom" in the sense of "the heart of an issue". The word also exists in Standard Arabic, but it remains common in everyday speech in Tunisia.
Example
الزيت قعد في قعر الخابية
ezzit 9a3ed fi 9a3r el khabia
“There is oil left at the bottom of the jar.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9a3r” but also “9aar”, “ka3r”, “qa3r” and “9a3er”. 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.