hindi هندي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“hindi” (هندي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning prickly pear (cactus fruit).
Meanings
- prickly pear (cactus fruit)
- prickly pear cactus
- Indian, from India
Usage
In Tunisia, hindi first means the prickly pear, a very popular summer fruit sold from carts at the roadside. One also says karmous hindi. The word is used as a collective for the fruit (nechri hindi, "I'm buying prickly pears") and also refers to the plant, often grown as a hedge around fields. One says hindiya for a single fruit. The meaning "Indian", for a film or a person, also exists, and context settles which is meant. A popular expression contrasts the apple that is sown with the hindi that grows, to speak of bad luck.
Example
الهندي طاب، نشريو كيلو؟
el hindi tab, nechriw kilo?
“The prickly pears are ripe, shall we buy a kilo?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hindi” but also “hendi” and “hindy”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.