najjar نجار
Tunisian Derja · noun
“najjar” (نجار) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning carpenter, joiner.
Meanings
- carpenter, joiner
Usage
Najjar refers to the woodworker. In practice, it corresponds more often to "joiner" than "carpenter": he is the one who makes furniture, cupboards, doors and windows. People often speak of the "najjar el 7ouma", the neighbourhood carpenter, from whom they order custom-made furniture. The workshop is called "najjara", the trade "tnajjrit". The plural is najjara or najjarin. The loanword "ménuisier" is also heard, but najjar remains the most common term.
Example
باش نعمل الخزانة عند النجار متاع الحومة
bech na3mel el khzena 3and ennajjar mta3 el 7ouma
“I'm going to have the wardrobe made by the neighbourhood carpenter.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “najjar” but also “nejjar”, “najar” and “nejar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “najjar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “carpenter”: njjar in Moroccan.