zawya زاوية

Algerian Darja · noun

“zawya” (زاوية) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning angle, point of view.

Meanings

1. angle, point of view
2. corner
3. zawiya, Sufi order or religious school

Usage

Zawya is used in the sense of angle, especially in the expression "men zawya okhra" ("from another angle") or for the angle of a camera shot. It can also mean a corner. In Algeria, the word very often refers to the zawiya: a religious establishment linked to a Sufi order and a saint, where the Quran is taught and gatherings are held. Algerian French has also adopted "zaouïa". Context tells you whether it means geometry, a viewpoint, or a religious institution.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zawya” but also “zaouia”, “zawia” and “zawiya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “zawya” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “zawiya, Sufi shrine”; “religious brotherhood”: zawya in Moroccan.

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “zawiya, saint's shrine”; “angle, corner”: zawya in Tunisian.