khchin خشين
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“khchin” (خشين) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning fat, heavyset.
Meanings
- fat, heavyset
- rough, coarse
- deep (voice)
Usage
In Tunisia, khchin mainly means "fat" when talking about a person: "wallit khchin" (you've put on weight). Its opposite is rgay9 ("thin"). The feminine is khchina, the plural khchan. The word is also used for a thick or rough material (fabric, paper) and for a deep or husky voice: "sout khchin". Depending on the context, telling someone they are khchin can be offensive. It is often softened by saying "mrayyaḥ" or "m3abbi".
Example
ولّيت خشين برشا ملّي بطّلت الرياضة
walit khchin barcha melli batalt el riadha
“I've gotten really fat since I stopped exercising.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khchin” but also “5chin”, “khchine” and “5ochin”. 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.