jzira جزيرة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“jzira” (جزيرة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning island.
Meanings
- island
- peninsula (in "chbeh jezira")
Usage
Jezira, often pronounced jzira, means an island. It is used naturally to talk about Djerba or the Kerkennah islands, for example "Jerba jzira". The plural is jzayer. The expression chbeh jezira ("almost an island") means "peninsula"; it is heard notably about Cap Bon, also called el Watan el 9ebli. The word also belongs to Standard Arabic, but it is in common use in Tunisia, with no learned connotation. Note: with the article and a capital letter, el Jazira can refer to a television channel or a place name.
Example
جربة أكبر جزيرة في تونس
jerba akbar jzira fi tounes
“Djerba is the biggest island in Tunisia.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jzira” but also “jezira”, “jazira” and “jzeyra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “jzira” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “island”: jzira in Moroccan.