Writing Arabic and Tunisian Derja

This page presents the online keyboards that are useful in Tunisia: the Arabic keyboard, its phonetic input for Derja typed in Arabizi, and the Tifinagh keyboard. They run on a computer or a phone without installing anything.

Useful keyboards in Tunisia

Tools

Interactive Arabic alphabetThe 28 Arabic letters plus hamza: name, transcription, isolated, initial, medial and final forms, an example word and audio. Free and eas…
Tifinagh alphabet (IRCAM)All 33 letters of the IRCAM Tifinagh alphabet with their names (ya, yab, yag…) and Latin equivalents. A clear reference to read and write…
Arabic ↔ Latin converterConvert Arabic text to Latin letters in Arabizi (3, 7, 9) or DIN 31635 style, or type salam to get سلام. Free, and your text never leaves…
Tifinagh ↔ Latin converterTurn Tifinagh into Latin letters with the IRCAM transcription (ɛ, ɣ, ḍ, ṣ…) or type Latin to get Tifinagh, with gh, kh and 3 shortcuts. F…
Hijri date converterConvert a Gregorian date to Hijri or a Hijri date to Gregorian with the Umm al-Qura or tabular calendar. See today's Hijri date and upcom…
Your name in ArabicWrite your name in Arabic: suggested spellings for about 400 first names, nine calligraphy styles and a square PNG image to download. Fre…
Arabic alphabet quizA free quiz to learn to recognise Arabic letters: find the name of a letter or the letter for a name. Your best score is saved on your de…

Scripts used in Tunisia

Arabic is the official language of Tunisia. The language of daily life is Derja, also called Tounsi, which is written in Arabic letters or, in messages, in Arabizi: Latin letters mixed with digits, as in “3aslema” or “9a3ed”. Amazigh dialects are also spoken in a few localities in the south and on Djerba.

Typing Derja in Arabizi

In Phonetic mode, the Arabic keyboard converts Arabizi letter by letter. With the Algeria-Tunisia variant, g becomes ڨ, while 3, 7, 9 and 5 become ع, ح, ق and خ. To add a short vowel, type _a, _i or _u right after the consonant. Words mode, on the other hand, converts the complete word after Space and shows suggestions. Computer keyboards in Tunisia are often AZERTY, so set the Latin hints accordingly.

Useful keyboards and tools for Tunisia

Arabic keyboard: the standard layout, with Arabic digits and the punctuation marks ؛ ، ؟.
Phonetic Arabic keyboard: Derja typed in Latin letters becomes Arabic.
Tifinagh keyboard and Tifinagh alphabet to discover the Amazigh script.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn Tunisian Arabizi into Arabic script?

Type in the Arabic keyboard's Phonetic mode with the Algeria-Tunisia variant: 3 gives ع, 7 gives ح, 9 gives ق and 5 gives خ. Each Latin letter is replaced by the matching Arabic letter as you type.

Which phonetic variant should I pick for the Tunisian g?

Pick Algeria-Tunisia: there, the letter g gives ڨ, which is commonly used to write the g of Derja. With the Morocco variant, the same letter would give ڭ.

Can I write Amazigh from Tunisia?

Yes, the Tifinagh keyboard works anywhere with no special setting. It follows the IRCAM alphabet and is handy both for learning the letters and for writing a word or a first name in Tifinagh.