nay ني
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“nay” (ني) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning raw, undercooked.
Meanings
- raw, undercooked
- unripe, green (fruit)
Usage
Nay describes food that is raw or undercooked: meat, fish, vegetables, poorly baked bread. The feminine form is nayya. It is used mainly in cooking: mazel nay, "it's still raw", to ask for more cooking time. By extension, it applies to fruit that is not ripe. The word is short and can be confused in writing with other words. The cooking context almost always makes it recognizable. It belongs to everyday speech.
Example
اللحم مازال ني، خليه يطيب شوية
el l7am mazel nay, khalli ytib chwaya
“The meat is still raw, let it cook a bit.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nay” but also “ney”, “nayy” and “nai”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.