khayen خاين

Tunisian Derja · adjective

“khayen” (خاين) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning traitorous, disloyal.

Meanings

1. traitorous, disloyal
2. unfaithful (in love)

Usage

Khayen describes a person who betrays the trust of a friend, partner, or country. It works as an adjective or a noun: "howa khayen", "ya khayen!". The feminine is khayna and the plural khaynin. In love, it commonly means someone unfaithful, and it appears a lot in songs and online statuses. The word belongs to everyday language. It is serious but not vulgar. The corresponding verb is khan ("to betray") and the corresponding noun is khyena ("betrayal").

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khayen” but also “5ayen”, “khayn”, “khaine” and “5ayn”. 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 “khayen” on the Arabic keyboard

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “thief”; “traitor, disloyal”: khayen in Algerian.