lhess الحس
Algerian Darja · noun
“lhess” (الحس) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning noise.
Meanings
- noise
- racket, commotion, disorder
Usage
El hess refers to noise in general, for example voices, footsteps or a commotion you can hear. It is often used with dar: ma tdirch el hess, "don't make noise". By extension, it refers to the racket or noisy disorder of a party or a crowd. The verb sma3 el hess means "to hear a noise". In Standard Arabic, the same word means rather "sense" or "sensitivity". This meaning appears in formal expressions, which can cause confusion in writing. The register is everyday and informal.
Example
ما تديروش الحس، بابا راقد
ma tdiroch el hess, baba ra9ed
“Don't make noise, Dad is asleep.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lhess” but also “hess” and “l7ess”. 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.