rmal رمل
Tunisian Derja · noun
“rmal” (رمل) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning sand.
Meanings
- sand
Usage
Rmal means sand, whether on the beach or on a building site. In construction, people order a truck of sand (kamyoun rmal) to make concrete with cement (smint). The word is used as a collective noun: grains are not counted; people say chwaya rmal (a little sand). Rmal is also an element in many place names in Tunisia. Mind the pronunciation: the first vowel is very short or absent.
Example
الصغار يلعبوا في الرمل عالشط.
es-sghar yal3bou fel rmal 3al chatt.
“The kids play in the sand on the beach.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “rmal” but also “rmel” and “ramel”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “rmal” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “sand”: rmel in Algerian.