jnoubi جنوبي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“jnoubi” (جنوبي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning southern, from the south.
Meanings
- southern, from the south
- from southern Tunisia
Usage
Jnoubi means "southern" in the general geographic sense, as in "South Pole." In Tunisia, it mainly refers to someone from the south of the country: Gabès, Médenine, Tataouine, Kébili, Tozeur, etc. The feminine is jnoubia and the plural jnouba. Depending on tone, the word can express regional pride or serve as a stereotype, for example about accent or character. Outside this regional sense, the phrase fil jnoub, "in the south," is often preferred.
Example
هو جنوبي، أصلو من مدنين.
howa jnoubi, aslou men mednine.
“He's from the South, he's originally from Médenine.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jnoubi” but also “jenoubi”, “janoubi” and “jnoubiya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “jnoubi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “southern, of the south”; “person from the South”: janoubi in Moroccan.