khan خان
Tunisian Derja · verb
“khan” (خان) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to betray (someone, one's country).
Meanings
- to betray (someone, one's country)
- to cheat on (a partner)
- to fail, give out (memory, strength)
Usage
Khan, imperfect ykhoun, means to betray. It is used for a friend, a trust or a country: "khan bledou", "khan el 3icha w el mel7", he betrayed the bread and salt they shared. In a relationship, it means to cheat: "khanha", he cheated on her. One also says that memory or the body "betrays": "khanetni dhakerti", my memory let me down. The corresponding noun is khiyana and the adjective is khayen, traitor, which can be used as an insult. The verb takes its object directly, without a preposition.
Example
وثقت فيه وفي الآخر خانّي.
witha9t fih w fil e5er khanni.
“I trusted him and in the end he betrayed me.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khan” but also “5an”, “khen” and “5en”. 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 “khan” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to betray”; “to cheat on (in a couple)”: khan in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to betray (someone, their trust)”; “to fail, to let down”: khan in Algerian.