kamcha كمشة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“kamcha” (كمشة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning handful (of something).
Meanings
- handful (of something)
- small group of people, often pejorative
Usage
Kamcha first refers to what one holds in a closed hand: "kamcha mel louz" (a handful of almonds). By extension, it expresses a small quantity, like "a little". Followed by a noun for people, it means a small group: "kamcha ness" (a handful of people). In this sense, the word is often contemptuous, especially in political debates: "kamcha sorrag" (a band of thieves) suggests a minority that harms everyone. The plural is kmech. It is informal and very common.
Example
عطيني كمشة لوز
a3tini kamcha louz
“Give me a handful of almonds.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kamcha” but also “kamsha” and “kamshe”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kamcha” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “handful, what the hand holds”; “small group (often pejorative)”: kamcha in Algerian.