hzin حزين
Algerian Darja · adjective
“hzin” (حزين) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning sad, upset.
Meanings
- sad, upset
- grieving, sorrowful
Usage
Hzin means sad. It agrees in gender and number: hzina in the feminine, hzanin in the plural. It is used mostly with "rani" to describe one's state: "rani hzin". It is understood everywhere, but in everyday conversation Algerians often prefer other expressions for passing sadness, such as "mqelleq", "mataqel" or "qalbi msakker", depending on the region. Hzin keeps a somewhat deeper or more serious nuance: disappointment, loss, nostalgia. It is often combined with "3la" to give the cause: "hzin 3la…". For a sad thing (film, song), people rather say "yhazzen".
Example
راني حزين على صاحبي اللي سافر
rani hzin 3la sahbi elli safer
“I'm sad about my friend who left.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hzin” but also “7zin”, “hazin” and “hzine”. 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 “hzin” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “sad, upset”; “saddening (event, news)”: 7zin in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “sad”; “grieved, sorrowful”: 7zin in Tunisian.