# All dialects: رجل (man)



## clevermizo

Quick question: In Syrian and Lebanese dialects, the singular word for man is rijjaal رجّال with a plural rjaal رجال.  Do any other dialects use this word (رجّال) or is it usually رَجُل (rajul)?


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## cherine

I don't know much about the other dialects, but in Egypt, the singular is raagel راجل and the plural is reggaala رجّالة .


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## ayed

clevermizo said:


> Quick question: In Syrian and Lebanese dialects, the singular word for man is rijjaal رجّال with a plural rjaal رجال. Do any other dialects use this word (رجّال) or is it usually رَجُل (rajul)?


In our Badawi dialect, we use it much on daily life :

* rajjal : a  man 
* rajjalain : two men
*riyajeel/'rjaal : men 
* rijajeel : men and we seldom use it 
*marrik *alrrijaily* al-youm?Did* X* call on you(rijaily is used  for both male and female when asking about one and you do not want people around you know his/her identity).It is same as Mr.X


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## elroy

"Rijjaal" (plural "rjaal") is used in Palestinian Arabic, but it's not common. The commonly used word for "man" is زلمة ("zalame") - plural زلام ("zlaam"). I'm pretty sure this word is used in Syrian and Lebanese as well - at least as an alternative to "rijjaal" (I couldn't tell you which one is used more commonly in those countries).


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## clevermizo

elroy said:


> "Rijjaal" (plural "rjaal") is used in Palestinian Arabic, but it's not common. The commonly used word for "man" is زلمة ("zalame") - plural زلام ("zlaam"). I'm pretty sure this word is used in Syrian and Lebanese as well - at least as an alternative to "rijjaal" (I couldn't tell you which one is used more commonly in those countries).



It is, as far as I gather, but its use compared to rijjaal is similar to the relationship between man:dude, as in one being general, and one sounding more "slangy" or more informal.

I'm not 100% sure about this. In Jordan I used the word zalame a lot, and I don't remember what the most generic word for "man" was, but it was probably also rijjaal. I was under the impression, nonetheless, that I shouldn't use "zalame" if I wanted to sound more polite or more polished. It's interesting that this is the more normal generic word in Palestinian.

Thanks to all the posters by the way; I didn't realize this word was subject to so much variation!


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## MarcB

Clevermizo, here are some others

رِجّال/ رياجيل  Gulf
زول Sudan رِجّالMorocco , Mauritania رِجّال


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## WadiH

"Rajjal"/"Rijjal" is more common than the standard "Rajul", as far as I know. In central Arabia, the plural is "rejajil", which often becomes "reyayeel" or "reyajeel" on the Gulf coast.


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## clevermizo

Wadi Hanifa said:


> "Rajjal"/"Rijjal" is more common than the standard "Rajul", as far as I know. In central Arabia, the plural is "rejajil", which often becomes "reyayeel" or "reyajeel" on the Gulf coast.



It actually makes sense to me that the plural of رجّال would be something like رجاجيل because of the shadda. I wonder if the Levantine plural رجال just comes because of the conflation with the standard plural (of the standard رجل).


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## Hani_D

The plural _Rjaal_ is just the standard plural pronounced in Levantine accent, I think the word _Rijjaal/Rajjaal_ comes on the emphatic formula : _Fa33aal_ as an exageration, you know how being _Rijjaal_ matters to Arabs.


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## Tawfeeq

In Iraqi, as well, you'll see both rijaal/riyajeel and zilmah/zilaam, with the implications being the same: the former is more standard/formal, while the latter is "slangier."


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## Ghabi

Hi. I've always been bemused by the multitude of the cognates of رَجُل in different dialects. For example (singular followed by plural),

Najdi: rajjaal / rajaajiil
Palestinian: rujjaal / rjaal
Egyptian: raagel / reggaala

How about the other dialects? (Also please correct the above if they're wrong!)


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## Masjeen

kuwaiti: rayyal/reyayiil


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## DarrenLamb

Omani: riggal/rigaageel


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## wildan1

Moroccan: Sing. _rajl_, plural _rjaal. _The short vowels almost disappear.


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## Ghabi

Wadi Hanifa said:


> In central Arabia, the plural is "rejajil", which often becomes "reyayeel" or "reyajeel" on the Gulf coast.


Hi Wadi. Ayed mentions above that _rjaal_ is also used, so _rjaal_ and _rejajil_ are interchangeable or one is more common than the other?


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## WadiH

Ghabi said:


> Hi Wadi. Ayed mentions above that _rjaal_ is also used, so _rjaal_ and _rejajil_ are interchangeable or one is more common than the other?



Yes, and the singular "rajl"/"rijl" also exists.


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## rayloom

In Hijazi Arabic, we say rijjaal (sing.) and rijaal (plural).

However, also raajil and to a lesser extent rajul are used, especially in certain phrases.


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## Mahaodeh

Tawfeeq said:


> In Iraqi, as well, you'll see both rijaal/riyajeel and zilmah/zilaam, with the implications being the same: the former is more standard/formal, while the latter is "slangier."



It's rijjaal (with a shadda on the jeem).

Zlimeh (with no kasra aftrr the zein) is not "slangier" in any way, it's used in a different context; most of the time to refer to a "manly" man or a chivalrous man. Of course, it may be used more casually but not very commonly - certainly not as common as in the Levant.

By the way, the plural zilaam is not used in Iraq, they say zilim for the plural.


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## Imad Net

Algerian Arabic
Raajel - singular
Rajjaala, Rojjaala, Rjaal - plural


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## elroy

Ghabi said:


> Palestinian: rujjaal / rjaal


 The singular is _r*i*jjaal_.


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## Hemza

In Morocco, رجالة (rojjaala) beside رجال (rjaal)



wildan1 said:


> Moroccan: Sing. _rajl_, plural _rjaal. _The short vowels almost disappear.



"raajl" and not "rajl" which is pronounced this way when it means "someone's husband" (رجل فلانة).


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## djara

In Tunisian
راجل, raajil; pl. رجال rjaal


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## Schem

Both رَجِل (rajel) and رَجّال (rajjāl) exist in my dialect as singulars while the predominant plural is رْجَال (rjāl). Other plurals like رِجاجيل rejajīl and reyajīl رياجيل are seldom used and/or considered Bedouin.


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## elroy

Schem said:


> reyajīl رياجيل


 This one is interesting.  Why would only one “j” mutate to “y” and not the other?


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## tounsi51

Schem said:


> Both رَجِل (rajel) and رَجّال (rajjāl) exist in my dialect as singulars while the predominant plural is رْجَال (rjāl). Other plurals like رِجاجيل rejajīl and reyajīl رياجيل are seldom used and/or considered Bedouin.



 رِجاجيل rejajīl is used in some rural areas of Tunisia. It might be a Banu Sulaym feature


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