hadj حج
Algerian Darja · noun
“hadj” (حج) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning pilgrimage to Mecca.
Meanings
- pilgrimage to Mecca
Usage
El-7ajj refers to the great pilgrimage to Mecca. You say ra7 l el-7ajj, "he went on the pilgrimage". It should not be confused with the 3omra, the lesser pilgrimage, which can be done at other times of the year. The word gave rise to el-7adj (feminine el-7adja), a respectful title used to refer to or address an elderly person, even one who has not made the pilgrimage. The same word also serves as a verb, 7ajj, "to make the pilgrimage". To congratulate a pilgrim on returning, you say 7ajj mabrour.
Example
يما راحت للحج العام لي فات
yemma ra7et l el-7ajj el-3am li fat
“My mother went on the pilgrimage last year.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hadj” but also “hajj” and “7ajj”. 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 “hadj” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “pilgrimage to Mecca”; “(written shorthand) thing, stuff”: hajj in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “pilgrimage to Mecca”; “title for a pilgrim or elderly man”: 7aj in Tunisian.