harrag الحراق
Algerian Darja · noun
“harrag” (الحراق) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning person who emigrates illegally by sea.
Meanings
- person who emigrates illegally by sea
- would-be clandestine migrant
Usage
The harrag is someone who leaves Algeria clandestinely, most often by boat to Spain or Italy. The plural harraga is very well known, including in the Algerian French-language press. The related verb is hreg, "to burn": hreg means "he took to the sea illegally". The image is of burning the border, and of burning one's papers so as not to be identified. The word is common in conversations, songs and social media. Depending on context, it can express compassion, criticism or a form of defiance. Note: in the singular, it refers to a person, not to the phenomenon itself.
Example
ولد الجيران حراق، راه في إسبانيا ضرك
wled ljiran 7arrag, rah f spania dorka
“The neighbors' son is a harrag, he's in Spain now.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “harrag” but also “7arrag”, “hrag” and “harag”. 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.