saboun صابون
Tunisian Derja · noun
“saboun” (صابون) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning soap.
Meanings
- soap
- laundry detergent, washing product
Usage
Saboun is the usual word for soap, whether for washing oneself or for laundry. You say "7arsa saboun" or "9at3a saboun" for a bar of soap. "Saboun akhdher" refers to green soap, or black soap, made from oil, used at the hammam and for housecleaning. For powdered laundry detergent, "saboun" is also heard in everyday speech, alongside brand names. The derived verb sabben means "to soap". It is a masculine noun and is most often used without a plural.
Example
اغسل يديك بالصابون قبل ما تاكل.
aghsel ydik bes-saboun 9bal ma takel.
“Wash your hands with soap before eating.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “saboun” but also “sabon”, “sabboun” and “saboune”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “saboun” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “soap”; “detergent, washing product”: saboun in Algerian.