hchouma حشومة
Algerian Darja · noun
“hchouma” (حشومة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning shame, shameful thing.
Meanings
- shame, shameful thing
- that's improper!
Usage
Hchouma means shame and, even more, what is not done according to proper manners. It is very often used as an exclamation of reproach: "hchouma!", or "hchouma 3lik!" (you should be ashamed). The phrase can be addressed to a child or an adult alike, and it can be serious or affectionate depending on the tone. In "wallah ghir hchouma 3lik", it can even express polite embarrassment at someone's kindness. The word is close to 3ib ("shame", "fault") and hard to tell apart from it; the two are often combined. The corresponding verb is hcham, "to be ashamed, to be shy".
Example
حشومة عليك، تهدر هكذا قدام يماك
hchouma 3lik, tehder hakda 9oddam yemmak
“You should be ashamed, talking like that in front of your mother.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hchouma” but also “7chouma”, “hechouma”, “hchoma” and “7shouma”. 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.