3ajjaj عجاج

Algerian Darja · noun

“3ajjaj” (عجاج) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning violent dust-laden wind.

Meanings

1. violent dust-laden wind
2. raised dust, dust cloud

Usage

3ajjaj refers to a strong wind that raises dust or sand, a frequent phenomenon on the High Plateaus and at the edge of the Sahara. The word is used mainly in the centre and the steppes, for example in Djelfa, M'sila or Laghouat. People commonly say dar el 3ajjaj, "there is a dust storm". By extension, it can refer to a simple cloud of dust raised by a car or a flock. It is not just "wind": for ordinary wind, say ri7. In the South, other regional terms for sandstorms are also heard.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ajjaj” but also “ajjaj”, “3jaj” and “aajaj”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.

Type “3ajjaj” on the Arabic keyboard

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “dust storm”; “airborne dust, dry haze”: 3jej in Tunisian.