3chiya عشية
Algerian Darja · noun
“3chiya” (عشية) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning afternoon, late day.
Meanings
- afternoon, late day
- eve (of a holiday)
Usage
In Algeria it means the afternoon through to the evening, not dinner as the standard word 3acha does. It is often used with the article: l3chiya, "the afternoon, this evening". Fel3chiya means "in the afternoon". With the name of a holiday, it marks the eve: 3chiyet l3id, "the eve of Eid". It is the opposite of sbah (morning). Do not confuse it with 3cha, the evening meal. In some regions, such as Sétif, the variant 3achwa is also heard.
Example
نتلاقاو العشية في القهوة
netlaqaw l3chiya fel qahwa
“We'll meet this afternoon at the café.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3chiya” but also “achiya” and “3echia”. 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 “3chiya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “afternoon”; “late afternoon, early evening”: 3chiya in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “afternoon”; “late afternoon, early evening”: 3chiya in Tunisian.