hlawa حلاوة

Algerian Darja · noun

“hlawa” (حلاوة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning charm, what makes something enjoyable.

Meanings

1. charm, what makes something enjoyable
2. sweetness, sweet taste

Usage

A noun formed from hlou, "sweet". In its literal sense, it means the sweet taste. It is used mostly figuratively, often in a construct phrase, to mean what makes something pleasant: hlawet edounya, "the sweetness of life"; hlawet el match, "the whole appeal of the match". Before a complement, the ending is pronounced -t: hlawet. It also appears in appreciative phrases like hadi hiya el hlawa, "that's the good part". The word is in the common, informal register. Be careful not to confuse it with halwa, which means a sweet confection.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hlawa” but also “7lawa”, “halawa”, “hlaoua” and “7lawet”. 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 “hlawa” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “candy, sweet treat”; “sweetness, sweet taste”: 7lawa in Moroccan.

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “sweetness, sweet taste”; “charm, pleasantness”: 7lewa in Tunisian.