rai

American  

[rahy] / raɪ /

noun

1. a style of Algerian popular music played on electric guitar, synthesizer, and percussion instruments.

---

rai British  

/ raɪ /

noun

1. a type of Algerian popular music based on traditional Algerian music influenced by modern Western pop

---

Etymology

Origin of rai

First recorded in 1985–90; from Algerian French raï, of uncertain origin; perhaps from Algerian Arabic (ha er-)ray “(here is the) view, (that's the) thinking,” a phrase often used in the songs

Example Sentences

"Mai pen rai" – no big deal – is a national catch-phrase.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2025

In 2018, according to data provided by Nipon, Thai farmers produced 485 kg of rice per rai, compared to 752 kg and 560 kg in Bangladesh and Nepal respectively.

From Reuters • Sep. 18, 2023

I woke my children and we piled in the man's car, where he blasted rai music as we made our way to Gueliz, one of the more fashionable Marrakchi districts.

From Salon • Jun. 20, 2022

Yet she told him that though she ate couscous and knew rai, a genre of North African pop music, she was still more assimilated into French culture than he was.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2022

Negli anni acerbi tuoi, purpurea rosa Sembravi tu, ch' ai rai tepidi, all' ora Non apre 'l sen, ma nel suo verde ancora Verginella s' asconde, e vergognosa.

From The Romance of Biography (Vol 1 of 2) or Memoirs of Women Loved and Celebrated by Poets, from the Days of the Troubadours to the Present Age. 3rd ed. 2 Vols. by Jameson, Mrs. (Anna)