nwahi النواحي

Algerian Darja · noun

“nwahi” (النواحي) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning surroundings, vicinity (of a place).

Meanings

1. surroundings, vicinity (of a place)
2. aspects, respects

Usage

Nwahi is the plural of nahya, "side, direction". Followed by a place name, it refers to the area around that place: f nwahi Wahran, "near Oran, in the Oran area". It is used to locate someone or something without giving a precise address. In the expression men kol nnwahi, very common in praising comments, it means "in every respect, in all aspects". The word comes from common Arabic and is used in an everyday register, slightly formal. Note: it is not an adjective. To say "near", use qrib.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nwahi” but also “nawahi”, “nnwahi”, “nouahi” and “nawa7i”. 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 “nwahi” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “environs, surroundings”; “around here, in the area”: nnawa7i in Moroccan.