ra9i راقي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“ra9i” (راقي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning refined, distinguished.
Meanings
- refined, distinguished
- elegant, tasteful
- upscale (area, place)
Usage
Ra9i describes a well-bred, distinguished and respectful person: "insen ra9i". It also describes a taste, a style or a behaviour: "dhaw9ou ra9i", "he has refined taste". For a place, it means chic or upscale: "7ouma ra9ia", "an upscale neighbourhood". The feminine is ra9ia and the plural is ra9iyin. The word is complimentary and frequent in online comments. It often refers to moral conduct more than to appearance, and then comes close to "class" in the figurative sense.
Example
راجل راقي ومتربي، يعرف كيفاش يحكي مع الناس
rajel ra9i w metrabbi, ya3ref kifech yahki m3a ennes
“A distinguished, well-bred man, he knows how to talk to people.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ra9i” but also “raqi”, “ra9y”, “raki” and “ra2i”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “ra9i” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “chic, upscale”; “refined, distinguished (person, manners)”: ra9i in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “high-quality, of a good standard”; “refined, well-mannered”: ra9i in Algerian.