hokouma حكومة
Algerian Darja · noun
“hokouma” (حكومة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning government.
Meanings
- government
- the authorities, the state
Usage
Hokouma is the usual word for the government, shared with standard Arabic. In conversation, it often goes beyond the institutional meaning and refers to the authorities or the state in general, the one held responsible for prices, jobs or roads: "el hokouma ma dart walou". It is heard a lot in political discussions and online comments, often in a critical tone. Algerians also use dawla for the state, and the French word "gouvernement" remains common among French speakers. The plural hokoumat is rare in speech.
Example
الحكومة زادت في سوما تاع الزيت
el hokouma zadet f souma ta3 ezzit
“The government raised the price of oil.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hokouma” but also “7okouma”, “houkouma”, “hukuma” and “7kouma”. 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 “hokouma” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “government”; “the state, the authorities”: 7okouma in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “government”; “the state, the authorities”: 7kouma in Tunisian.