chmata شماتة

Algerian Darja · noun

“chmata” (شماتة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning joy at another's misfortune.

Meanings

1. joy at another's misfortune
2. mockery, taunting

Usage

Chmata refers to rejoicing at someone's misfortune or failure, and the mockery that goes with it. It is used mainly in phrases like dar fih chmata, "he gloated over his misfortune". It is also used in the moral formula la chmata, "no mockery", to remind people not to rejoice at another's fate. The word carries a disapproving nuance and is very common in comments about sports or politics. Do not confuse it with an insult aimed at a person: in Algeria, it describes an attitude, not an individual.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chmata” but also “chemata”, “chmatha” and “shmata”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “chmata” on the Arabic keyboard

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “shame, humiliation, disgraceful thing”; “gloating at another's misfortune”: chmeta in Tunisian.