rouh روح
Algerian Darja · noun
“rouh” (روح) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning soul, spirit.
Meanings
- soul, spirit
- oneself (reflexive: rouhi, rouhek)
- go! (imperative of rah)
Usage
Rouh means the soul or spirit. It appears in "rabbi yerham rouhou" (may God have mercy on his soul) and in "3andou rouh mriha" (he has a pleasant character). With a suffixed pronoun, it serves as a reflexive, which is very common: "drt'ha b rouhi" (I did it myself), "tla3 rouhek" (take care of yourself). The pitfall: the same form is also the imperative of the verb rah (to go), "rouh!" (go away, go ahead). This verb is also used to express the near future or an intention, as in "rouh tetwedda".
Example
ربي يرحم روحو
rabbi yerham rouhou
“May God have mercy on his soul.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “rouh” but also “rou7”, “ro7”, “rouhh” and “roh”. 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 “rouh” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “soul, spirit”; “life, vital breath”: rou7 in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “soul, spirit”; “oneself (with possessive suffix)”: rou7 in Tunisian.