7obi حبي

Algerian Darja · noun

“7obi” (حبي) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning my love (term of endearment).

Meanings

1. my love (term of endearment)
2. my love for…

Usage

7obbi is the noun 7obb (love) followed by the first-person possessive: "my love". It is used mostly as an affectionate term of address, between lovers or toward a child, much like "my heart". It can also keep its literal meaning: 7obbi l-bladi, "my love for my country". It is not an adjective meaning "friendly"; the gloss "friendly" is misleading. In the same register, 7bibi or 7abibti are heard more often, as are 3omri or galbi. Familiar, intimate tone; using it with someone you hardly know can seem inappropriate.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7obi” but also “hobi”, “7obbi”, “hobbi” and “7oubi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.

Type “7obi” on the Arabic keyboard

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “my darling, my love (endearment)”; “my love for, my affection”: 7obbi in Tunisian.