jrada جرادة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“jrada” (جرادة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning grasshopper, locust.
Meanings
- grasshopper, locust
- a single locust (collective jrad)
Usage
Jrada is the unit name: it refers to a single insect, a grasshopper or a locust. The collective jrad refers to the species or a swarm of insects, especially locust invasions that ravage crops, a familiar topic in the Tunisian countryside. The plural jradet is used to count a few individuals. The word is also used figuratively for a large group that devours everything in its path. French distinguishes grasshopper and locust, but everyday speech does not make this difference. It is therefore used for any jumping insect of this kind.
Example
شفت جرادة كبيرة في الجنينة.
chouft jrada kbira fel jnina.
“I saw a big grasshopper in the garden.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jrada” but also “jreda” and “jrade”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “jrada” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “grasshopper, locust (single insect)”: jrada in Moroccan.