3chiya عشية
Moroccan Darija · noun
“3chiya” (عشية) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning afternoon.
Meanings
- afternoon
- late afternoon, early evening
Usage
3chiya, or l3chiya with the article, refers to the period from midday until sunset. It corresponds mainly to the "afternoon", although it is sometimes translated as "evening". One says had l3chiya (this afternoon), f l3chiya (in the afternoon) and l3chiya (yesterday afternoon, depending on context). The other parts of the day are sba7 (morning) and lil (night). Be careful not to confuse it with 3cha, "dinner".
Example
صبر تال عشية
sbar tal 3xiya
“Wait until the afternoon.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3chiya” but also “3chia”, “3xiya” and “aachia”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “3chiya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “afternoon, late day”; “eve (of a holiday)”: 3chiya in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “afternoon”; “late afternoon, early evening”: 3chiya in Tunisian.