mtha99ef مثقف
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mtha99ef” (مثقف) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning cultured, educated.
Meanings
- cultured, educated
- intellectual (person)
Usage
Mtha99ef, often pronounced m9atthef, is borrowed from Standard Arabic. It is nonetheless in common use in Tunisia for someone who reads, keeps informed and has broad general knowledge. As a noun, it means intellectuals, often mentioned alongside artists in public debates. It is frequently used ironically, for example cha3b mtha99ef, "a cultured people", to underline a contrast. It also appears in 3amel rou7ou mtha99ef, "he plays the intellectual". The feminine is mtha99fa and the plural mtha99fin.
Example
هو راجل مثقف، يقرا برشا
houwa rajel mtha99ef, ya9ra barcha
“He is a cultured man, he reads a lot.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mtha99ef” but also “mouthakef” and “mtha9ef”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.