The letter “D” in Tunisian Arabic

By IBL Editorial On Jan 30, 2024

Tunisian Arabic speakers predominantly write in both the Latin and Arabic scripts. (with the younger generations almost exclusively writing to each other, in Arabic, using the Latin script. Whereas, there is a tendency (but no exclusively) for the older generations to write to each other using the Arabic script)

In this article we’ll explore the letter “D” in Tunisian Arabic in both its Latin- and Arabic-script forms. (And if you wish to study a related article, refer to the IBL article The letter “C” in Tunisian Arabic)

D using the Arabic script

In Arabic, the letter D is written as د and is called Del /دال. Using Standard Arabic (Fos7a / فصحى), based on the diacritic used, it has three primary spellings and pronunciations:

دَ = Da
دُ = Dou/Do (A note that Dou & Do are slightly different pronunciations)
دِ = Di

A note on diacritics: When writing in Fos7a, a diacritic accompanies every letter. (Diacritics exist in many languages including Arabic, French, Spanish, etc. and are markings associated to letters that will provide additional information to a reader on how the letters are pronounced) The three diacritics that appear in the list above are called Chakel / شكل. (Which also means “Shape“) The Tunisian Arabic dialect uses diacritics but many diacritics (like the Chakel) aren’t used by writers and are considered implied. In the list above, all three of these diacritics exist in function on these expressions but it’s uncommon to see them used amongst writers. (In Tunisian Arabic, these diacritics are hidden, so to speak)

IBL Contributor, Nada A. pronounces Del /دال:

Nada A. pronounces Da, Dou, Do & Di:

Here are four examples of words in Tunisian Arabic that start with D / د and use each of Da, Dou, Do & Di:

Dar / دار = House (Uses Da—Spelling with the Chakel is دَار)
Dour / دور = Turn (Uses Dou—Spelling with the Chakel is دُور)
Dossier / دوسي = Folder (Uses Do—Spelling with the Chakel is دُوسي)
Dinar / دينار = Dinar (the currency used in Tunisia) (Uses Di—Spelling with the Chakel is دِينَار)

Nada A. pronounces Dar, Dour, Dossier & Dinar:

Adjectives that start with D / د

What follows are three Tunisian Arabic adjectives that start with D:

Defi / دافي = “Warm” (the adjective, in the singular masculine form)
Dekhlin b3adhhom / داخلين بعضهم = “Confused” (the verb, in the They form)
Dzirya / دزيرية = “Algerian” (the adjective, in the singular feminine and plural forms)

Nada A. pronounces Defi, Dekhel ba3dhi, & Dzirya:

Verbs that start with D / د

What follows are three verbs in Tunisian Arabic that start with D:

Dour /دور = Turn (in the imperative form, in the context of turning an object)
Dakhal / دخّل = Enter (in the imperative form)
Dazzit / دزّيت = Pushed (in the past tense)

Nada A. pronounces Dour, Dakhal, & Dazzit:

Examples of D / د in a word

Moudir /مدير = Principal (the noun, as in the head of an academic institution)
Madhoun / مدهون = Painted (the adjective)
Nebda /نبدى = Start (the verb, in the I form)

Nada A. pronounces Moudir, Madhoun, & Nebda:

Names that start with D / د

The letter D / د is popular amongst Tunisian Arabic names. Here are three examples of names that start with it:

Dina / دينا
Dalia / دالية
Dali /دالي (a common nickname for Mohammed Ali / محمد علي)

Nada A. pronounces Dina, Dalia, & Dali:

Words derived from French that start with D / د

As you likely know there are many words spoken amongst Tunisian Arabic speakers that are derived from French. (either written and pronounced identically to French or modified slightly to be more conventionally Arabic) What follows are three examples of Tunisian Arabic words that are etymologically based on French:

Diplomacy / ديبلوماسي = Diplomatic (the adjective)
Dramatique / دراماتيك = Dramatic
Doctorat / دكتوراه = PhD (as in the type of graduate degree)

Nada A. pronounces Diplomacy, Dramatique & Doctorat:

Combining D and H

When the letters “d” and “h” are combined in a word they can be done so to represent one of these three letters:

ض – Dhad / ضاد
ظ – Dha2 / ظاء
ذ – Dhel / ذال

Note that -dh- in a word often is one of the three letters above but not exclusively. As noted above, the -dh- in Madhoun (Painted, in the adjective form) represents the letters -ده-.

Nada A. pronounces the letters ذ & ظ ,ض:

Here are three examples of Dh / ض in words:

Dhaw / ضوء (“Light“, the noun, as in luminosity)
Nadh7ak / نضحك (“Laugh”, the verb, in the I form)
Dhed / ضد (“Against”, in an opposing context)

Nada A. pronounces the letters Dhaw, Nadh7ak & Dhed:

Here are three examples of Dh / ظ in words:

Dhell / ظل (“Shadow”)
Mnadhem / منظم (“Organized”)
Dhhar / ظهر (“Back”, the noun, as in the body part)

Nada A. pronounces the letters Dhell, Mnadhem & Dhhar:

Here are three examples of Dh / ذ in words:

Dhhab / ذهب (“Gold“)
Madhabya… / …ماذابيا (“I feel like…”)
Dhebbena / ذبانة (“Fly“, the noun, as in the insect)

Nada A. pronounces the letters Dhhab, Madhabya & Dhebbena:

In closing

Understanding how the letter D / د is used in both writing and pronunciation will equip you to better communicate with others in Tunisian Arabic. If you wish to continue to study the alphabet that Tunisian Arabic speakers use here are the IBL articles:

And if you want to go onto a different area of study, here are 100 two- and three- word statements in Tunisian Arabic, which includes audio recordings. Knowing these phrases will greatly equip you for your next trip to Tunisia.

As always, we wish you a marvellous journey!