janb جنب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“janb” (جنب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning side, flank.
Meanings
- side, flank
- aside, to one side (3la janb)
Usage
Janb means the side, both in the physical sense (the flank of the body) and the spatial sense. It is used mostly in fixed phrases: b janb or fi janb for "next to", 3la janb for "aside, to one side". It is heard in sentences like "hottou 3la janb" (put it aside) or "odhrob 3la janb" (pull over to the side). With a suffixed pronoun, it signals proximity: "b janbi" (next to me). The word is neutral and used in all registers. An English speaker should remember that the preposition that goes with it changes the meaning of the expression.
Example
حطّ الكرسي على جنب
7ott el korsi 3la janb
“Put the chair to one side.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “janb” but also “jenb”, “jnab” and “janeb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “janb” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “side, flank (of the body)”; “next to, beside”: jenb in Moroccan.