ak7el اكحل
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“ak7el” (اكحل) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning black (color).
Meanings
- black (color)
- dark, wicked (heart)
- ill-fated, unlucky (day)
Usage
The usual word for "black" in Tunisia, where Standard Arabic says "aswad". Feminine "ka7la", plural "ko7l". One says "felfel ak7el" for black pepper, "cha3rha ak7el" for black hair. Figuratively, "galbou ak7el" describes someone as spiteful or wicked, and "nhar ak7el" a day of misfortune. The word "aswad" is understood but sounds bookish or is used in fixed expressions. Pitfall for an English speaker: the adjective follows the noun and agrees in gender.
Example
لبس سروال أكحل
lbes serwel ak7el
“He put on black trousers.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ak7el” but also “ak7al”, “ka7la”, “k7al” and “kahla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find اكحل and كحل, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “ak7el” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
The same word also exists in Moroccan Darija, written كحل, where it means “black (colour)”; “dark, ill-fated (figurative)”: k7el in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written كحل, where it means “black (colour)”; “dark-skinned (of a person)”: k7al in Algerian.