ghzel غزال

Tunisian Derja · noun

“ghzel” (غزال) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning gazelle.

Meanings

1. gazelle
2. beautiful, nice (adjective)
3. beautiful person (compliment)

Usage

Ghzel first means the gazelle, the animal. In Tunisian the word is also a very common adjective meaning "beautiful, nice": wa9t ghzel, "a lovely moment", or ghzel barcha, "very beautiful". In the feminine, ghzela means "beautiful", and it is a frequent compliment paid to a woman. The plural is ghzela or ghozlen. An English speaker may be surprised to hear it used for an object, a city or a meal. It is nonetheless a perfectly normal usage, in an informal and affectionate register.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghzel” but also “ghzal”, “8zel” and “ghazal”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.

Type “ghzel” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “beautiful, pretty, cute”; “nice, good quality”: ghzal in Moroccan.