ni9ab نقاب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ni9ab” (نقاب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning niqab, face veil.
Meanings
- niqab, face veil
Usage
Ni9ab refers to the full veil covering the face, leaving only the eyes visible. It is distinct from a simple headscarf, called ch3ar, mendil or voile. One says tilbes enni9ab for "she wears the niqab", or munaqqba for a woman who wears it. The word is frequent in public debates and on social media. It often carries a polemical charge, as wearing the niqab is a debated social issue in Tunisia. The term itself remains neutral.
Example
ولّات تلبس النقاب
wallet tilbes enni9ab
“She started wearing the niqab.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ni9ab” but also “niqab”, “nikab”, “n9ab” and “neqab”. 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.