khali خالي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“khali” (خالي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning my maternal uncle.
Meanings
- my maternal uncle
- address to an older man
Usage
The word khali means "my uncle", but only on the mother's side. The father's brother is 3ammi, and an English speaker should not confuse the two. With other possessives, one says khalek ("your uncle") or khalou ("his uncle"); ould khali means the maternal cousin. As a politeness, khali is also used to address familiarly an older man one does not know, just like 3ammi. The same word can also mean "empty" or "deserted" as an adjective, but that sense is distinct.
Example
خالي جاي من فرنسا الصيف هذا
khali jey men fransa essif hedha
“My maternal uncle is coming from France this summer.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khali” but also “5ali”, “khaly” and “5aly”. 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 “khali” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “my maternal uncle”; “affectionate term for an older man”: khali in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “my maternal uncle”; “empty, vacant (place)”: khali in Algerian.