oued واد
Algerian Darja · noun
“oued” (واد) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning river, watercourse, wadi.
Meanings
- river, watercourse, wadi
- valley
Usage
Wad (often written oued in French) denotes a watercourse, permanent or seasonal, and by extension the bed or valley it carves. The word is everywhere in Algeria, including in many place names. For a flood, one says el wad hmel (the wadi overflowed). The word is masculine. The common plural is widan. The difficulty for an English speaker is that a "wadi" can be dry for much of the year; the word does not necessarily mean a river with water in it. Do not confuse it with wled (children) when the spelling is approximate.
Example
الواد حمل البارح
el wad hmel lbareh
“The wadi overflowed yesterday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “oued” but also “wad”, “wed” and “ouad”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “oued” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “river”; “valley, riverbed”: wad in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “river, stream”; “riverbed, valley”: wed in Tunisian.