rakeh راكح
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“rakeh” (راكح) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning calm, composed, quiet.
Meanings
- calm, composed, quiet
- still, stable, at rest
- level-headed, steady (person)
Usage
Rakeh describes what is stable and motionless, or a person who is calm and composed. It is readily contrasted with hayej (agitated, worked up): nheb wa7da rakha, mich hayja. In the literal sense, it describes an object that is well placed and does not move, or a boat at rest in port. Figuratively, manich rakeh means "I am not at ease, I am worried". The feminine is rakha. The word comes from the verb rkah (to calm down, to settle). It belongs to the ordinary colloquial register and is not formal.
Example
ولدها راكح برشا، ما يعملش حس.
weldha rakeh barcha, ma ya3melch 7es.
“Her son is very calm, he makes no noise.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “rakeh” but also “rake7”, “rakah”, “raki7” and “rakih”. 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.