khal5al خلخال
Tunisian Derja · noun
“khal5al” (خلخال) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning traditional anklet.
Meanings
- traditional anklet
Usage
The khal5al is an anklet worn by women, often in silver, sometimes in gold. It is a traditional piece of jewelry, associated with the wedding trousseau and regional costume. It is often heavy and engraved. It also appears in songs and folk proverbs. The common plural is khlakhel. Younger speakers also use the word for modern thin ankle chains, even though the term first evokes the old-style piece.
Example
أمّي عندها خلخال فضّة من عرسها
ommi 3andha khal5al fadha men 3orsha
“My mother has a silver anklet from her wedding.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khal5al” but also “khalkhal”, “5al5al”, “kholkhal” and “5ol5al”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khal5al” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “anklet”: khelkhal in Moroccan.