ka3b كعب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ka3b” (كعب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning heel of the foot.
Meanings
- heel of the foot
- heel of a shoe
- unit, piece (feminine ka3ba)
Usage
Ka3b refers first to the heel of the foot (ka3b sa9i) or of a shoe: sabbat b ka3b, "shoes with heels". Its feminine form, ka3ba, is very common as a counting word for objects or fruit. Ka3ba tmatem means "one tomato", zouz ka3bet "two pieces". That is the pitfall: ka3ba does not mean "heel" but "one unit". The word belongs to the common, informal register.
Example
يوجعني كعب ساقي من الصباح
yowja3ni ka3b sa9i mel sbe7
“My heel has been hurting since this morning.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ka3b” but also “kaab”, “ka3ba” and “kaaba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.