zelzel زلزال
Tunisian Derja · noun
“zelzel” (زلزال) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning earthquake, quake.
Meanings
- earthquake, quake
- major upheaval
Usage
Zelzel means an earthquake. It is used with ṣar ("it happened"): ṣar zelzel ("there was an earthquake"). People also say zelzel kbir ("a strong earthquake") and l'ard tzelzlet ("the earth shook"). The word is also used figuratively, especially in political or sports commentary, for a sudden upheaval, an event that turns the situation upside down. The form zalzala, closer to standard Arabic, is sometimes heard, especially in the media. The plural zlézel remains rare.
Example
البارح صار زلزال وحسّينا بيه في الدار.
elbare7 sar zelzel w 7assina bih fi eddar.
“Yesterday there was an earthquake and we felt it at home.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zelzel” but also “zilzel”, “zalzal”, “zelzal” and “zilzal”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “zelzel” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “earthquake, seismic event”: zelzal in Moroccan.