mgharfa مغرفة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mgharfa” (مغرفة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning spoon.
Meanings
- spoon
- spoonful (measure)
- ladle (utensil)
Usage
Mgharfa is the usual word for a spoon in Tunisia, whether a tablespoon or a teaspoon. Size is specified with a complement: "mgharfa mta3 9ahwa" (coffee spoon), "mgharfa kbira" (large spoon). "Mgharfa louh" means a wooden spoon. In recipes, the word also serves as a unit of measure, meaning a spoonful. The plural is "mgharef". Pitfall: although the word can also mean a ladle, its primary meaning in Tunisia remains the ordinary spoon.
Example
وتحرّك مليح بمغرفة ,
wt7arek mlii7 bmgharfa ,
“And you stir well with a spoon.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mgharfa” but also “m8arfa”, “mghorfa”, “mgharef” and “m8orfa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find مغرفة and مغرفه, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.
Type “mgharfa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “ladle”; “large serving spoon”: mgherfa in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written مغرف, where it means “spoon”; “spoonful”: mgharfa in Algerian.