msiken مسيكن
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“msiken” (مسيكن) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning poor thing, unfortunate.
Meanings
- poor thing, unfortunate
- gentle, harmless
Usage
Msiken is the affectionate form of miskin. It expresses compassion toward someone who is suffering or unlucky: ma nja7ch, msiken (he didn't succeed, the poor thing). Placed after the sentence, it works like the English "poor thing". Applied to a person, it can also mean "decent, harmless, without malice": rajel msiken. The feminine is msikna, the plural msakin. The register is informal and common. Note: depending on tone, it can take on a condescending nuance.
Example
مسيكن تعب برشا اليوم
msiken t3eb barcha lyoum
“Poor thing, he got very tired today.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “msiken” but also “msikin”, “meskin”, “miskin” and “mesiken”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.