7wachi حواشي
Algerian Darja · noun
“7wachi” (حواشي) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning edges, extremities.
Meanings
- edges, extremities
- sides, surroundings
Usage
7wachi is the plural of 7achia and refers to the edges or extremities of something: of a fabric, a dish, a plot of land or a road. It is used in daily life, for example to say you are cutting the edges off a flatbread or walking along the roadside. The register is neutral. It should not be confused with the learned meaning of "marginal notes" or "courtiers, entourage", which belongs to Standard Arabic. Common construction: 7wachi + noun, as in 7wachi ta3 ezzarbia (the edges of the carpet).
Example
قطع الحواشي تاع الكسرة
9ta3 el 7wachi ta3 el kesra
“Cut off the edges of the flatbread.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7wachi” but also “hwachi”, “7wachy” and “hwashi”. 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.