dziri دزيري
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“dziri” (دزيري) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning Algerian (adjective).
Meanings
- Algerian (adjective)
- an Algerian (noun)
Usage
Dziri refers to something Algerian or a person from Algeria. The word reflects how Algerians call themselves, and Tunisians use it commonly, alongside "jazayri", which is more neutral or formal. It agrees in gender and number: "dziriya" for the feminine, "dzayriya" or "dziriyin" for the plural. It is often heard in connection with Algerian visitors, who are very numerous in summer, with their accent, or with their cooking. Depending on tone, the word can be affectionate or mocking; it is not pejorative in itself.
Example
صاحبي دزيري، جا يصيّف في طبرقة.
sa7bi dziri, ja ysayef fi Tabarka.
“My friend is Algerian, he came to spend the summer in Tabarka.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dziri” but also “dzeyri”, “dzayri” and “dzairi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “dziri” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “Algerian”; “from Algiers, of the capital”: dziri in Algerian.