9zez قزاز
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9zez” (قزاز) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning glass (material).
Meanings
- glass (material)
- broken glass
- something fragile, shattered
Usage
9zez is the collective noun for glass as a material, and often for broken glass. The singular 9zeza refers to a bottle. For a drinking glass, kes is more common, and for a window pane or flat glass, bellar is also heard. Figuratively, mchet 9zez, "she went to glass," means being shattered to pieces or totally discredited. Saying something is 9zez emphasizes its fragility. The register is everyday and spoken. Avoid confusing 9zez, the material, with 9zeza, the bottle.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9zez” but also “qzez”, “gzez” and “kzez”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.