dwa دوا
Algerian Darja · noun
“dwa” (دوا) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning medicine, remedy.
Meanings
- medicine, remedy
- product (insecticide, treatment)
Usage
Dwa refers to any medicine or remedy: "chrit dwa", I bought some medicine; "yechreb dwa", he is on treatment. The word extends to household chemical products: "dwa ta3 nmous", mosquito repellent. The plural is "adwiya", rarer in speech. Beware of a homonym: the verb dwa, present idwi, means "to speak", as in "dwi m3ah" (talk to him) or "ma tdwich" (be quiet). Only context tells them apart, since the spelling is identical.
Example
روح للفارماسي جيبلي الدوا.
rou7 l-pharmacie jibli d-dwa.
“Go to the pharmacy and get me the medicine.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dwa” but also “dwe”, “edwa” and “douwa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “dwa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “medicine, remedy”; “chemical product (insecticide, treatment)”: dwa in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “medicine, medication”; “remedy, fix (figurative)”: dwa in Tunisian.