Moroccan Darija for “maternal uncle”
/khal/
خال
Khali safer l-Bariz.
My maternal uncle traveled to Paris.
Say khal (خال) for “maternal uncle” in Moroccan Darija. The pronunciation guide is /khal/. It is a noun with masculine gender. In a natural conversation, you can say “Khali safer l-Bariz.”, meaning “My maternal uncle traveled to Paris.” The French equivalent is oncle maternel.
Khalna jaya yzurna ghdda.
خالنا جاية يزورنا غدا.
Our maternal uncle is coming to visit us tomorrow. · Notre oncle maternel vient nous rendre visite demain.
Khalek kay3ref ytbkh meziane.
خالك كيعرف يطبخ مزيان.
Your maternal uncle knows how to cook well. · Ton oncle maternel sait bien cuisiner.
Khalha 3ndo dar kbira f-lmdina.
خالها عندو دار كبيرة فالمدينة.
Her maternal uncle has a big house in the city. · Son oncle maternel a une grande maison en ville.
The word 'khal' is commonly used in everyday conversation to refer to one's maternal uncle. It is a standard term and not considered slang. It is often used in familial contexts, and a common expression is 'khal bhal baba,' meaning 'an uncle is like a father.' There are no significant regional variants for this term in Morocco.
| English | maternal uncle |
|---|---|
| French | oncle maternel |
| Spanish | tío materno |
| Italian | zio materno |
| German | Onkel mütterlicherseits |
| Portuguese | tio materno |
| Dutch | oom van moederskant |
| Turkish | dayı |
khal (خال) is a Moroccan Darija word or expression meaning "maternal uncle" in English and "oncle maternel" in French. It is a intermediate-level word in the family category.
A natural example is “Khali safer l-Bariz.” It means “My maternal uncle traveled to Paris.”
Khal is pronounced /khal/. You can listen to the audio pronunciation by clicking the "Listen" button above.
In Arabic script it is written خال (with vowel marks: خَال).
The word 'khal' is commonly used in everyday conversation to refer to one's maternal uncle. It is a standard term and not considered slang. It is often used in familial contexts, and a common expression is 'khal bhal baba,' meaning 'an uncle is like a father.' There are no significant regional variants for this term in Morocco.