n7as نحاس
Tunisian Derja · noun
“n7as” (نحاس) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning copper.
Meanings
- copper
- copperware
Usage
N7as means copper, first of all as a metal. It is often used for traditional utensils: pots, trays and engraved objects sold in the souks, where craftsmen called n77asa work. Figuratively, the word is used to contrast metals of unequal value when judging people: next to dheb ("gold") or fadhdha ("silver"), n7as stands for what is of little value. For the adjective "made of copper", people say mta3 n7as. The word is common and belongs to no particular register.
Example
جدتي عندها برشا ماعون نحاس.
jadti 3andha barcha ma3oun n7as.
“My grandmother has lots of copper utensils.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “n7as” but also “nhas”, “na7as”, “n7es” and “nhes”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “n7as” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “copper”; “copper or brass objects”: n7as in Moroccan.