jiran جيران
Tunisian Derja · noun
“jiran” (جيران) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning neighbors.
Meanings
- neighbors
- the neighborhood, people next door
Usage
Jiran is the plural of jar (neighbor); the feminine singular is jara. It is the usual word for the people who live next door, in the same building or on the same street. It is often used with a possessive: jiranna (our neighbors), jiranek (your neighbors). Neighborly relations matter a great deal in Tunisia: people exchange dishes and visit each other on holidays and at times of mourning. The word is also used figuratively for a neighboring country or for the people sitting next to you at a table. Note that it is a plural form and takes plural agreement.
Example
جيراننا ناس ملاح برشا
jiranna nés m'la7 barcha
“Our neighbors are very nice people.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jiran” but also “jiren”, “jirane”, “jyran” and “jirene”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “jiran” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “neighbors”; “neighborhood, neighbors collectively”: jiran in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “neighbors”; “neighboring countries”: jiran in Algerian.