jaza جزاء
Algerian Darja · noun
“jaza” (جزاء) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning reward (especially divine).
Meanings
- reward (especially divine)
- retribution, deserved punishment
Usage
Jaza is used mainly in religious formulas of thanks: "jazak Allah khir" (may God reward you with good), often shortened to "jazak Allah". The word keeps a formal or pious register; in everyday life, for a material reward, one would rather say "cadeau" (gift) or use another turn of phrase. It can also refer to what one deserves in a bad sense: "hada jazah" (that's what he deserves). Online comments often write "jazaa Allah", a common spelling hesitation. The meaning depends on the context: deserved benefit or deserved punishment.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jaza” but also “jazaa”, “djaza” and “jaza2”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop.