a7mak احمق
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“a7mak” (احمق) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning foolish, stupid, lacking judgment.
Meanings
- foolish, stupid, lacking judgment
- idiot (term of address)
Usage
A7mak describes a person who acts or speaks without thinking, who lacks common sense. It is used mostly to criticize someone, often in an argument or in a tone of reproach, for example in "rak a7mak" ("you're an idiot"). The word is pejorative and can offend: said directly to someone, it works as a mild insult, on the same level as ghbi. It belongs to the informal register. The word also exists in Standard Arabic. In online writing, the letter "ق" is often rendered as k or 9, hence several Latin spellings.
Example
ما تكونش أحمق، اسمع الكلام
ma tkounech a7mak, esma3 el klem
“Don't be an idiot, listen to what you're told.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “a7mak” but also “a7mek”, “ahmak”, “a7ma9” and “ahmek”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.