haw هاو
Algerian Darja · particle
“haw” (هاو) is a particle in Algerian Darja meaning here is, there is.
Meanings
- here is, there is
- that's why (concluding)
Usage
A very common presentative particle, equivalent to "here is, there is". It is used to point out something or someone (haw jay, "here he comes") or to conclude a line of reasoning (haw 3lach…, "that's why…"). It takes suffixed pronouns: hawlek ("here, take it"), hawha ("here she is"), hawni ("here I am"). Despite the reference definition, it is not really a word for calling someone: it is a presentative. Its register is informal and spoken, but it carries no particular connotation.
Example
هاو خويا جا
haw khouya ja
“Here comes my brother.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “haw” but also “hao”, “hawa”, “haou” and “hw”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “haw” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “here he is, there he is”; “here, take it”: haw in Tunisian.