hwayej حوايج

Algerian Darja · noun

“hwayej” (حوايج) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning things.

Meanings

1. things
2. belongings, stuff
3. clothes

Usage

Hwayej is the plural of haja (thing). It is the most common word for "things" in darja: "bezzaf hwayej" (many things). It also refers to someone's belongings: "jma3 hwayjek", gather your things. Depending on context, it can also mean clothes, as in "chrit hwayej jdod" (I bought new clothes), especially in the run-up to Eid. The register is neutral and everyday. The Latin spelling varies a lot: hwayej, 7wayej, hwayedj.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hwayej” but also “7wayej”, “hwayedj”, “hwayaj”, “7wayaj” and “hawai'ej”. 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 “hwayej” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “clothes, garments”; “belongings, things”: 7wayej in Moroccan.

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “clothes”; “belongings”: 7wayej in Tunisian.