7achara حشرة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“7achara” (حشرة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning insect.
Meanings
- insect
- small bug
Usage
7achara means an insect, in the general sense. It is a word of Standard Arabic origin, common at school, in the media and when talking about biology. In casual conversation, bekhkha or the plural bkhouch is often preferred for any kind of creepy-crawly. The plural is 7acharat. The word is feminine: one says 7achara sghira, "a small insect". Note: used about a person, it can be contemptuous, as in English, but this use remains occasional. For a learner, 7achara is always understood and suits a neutral register.
Example
الفراشة حشرة صغيرة
lfaracha 7achara Sghira
“The butterfly is a small insect.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7achara” but also “hachara”, “7echra”, “hashara” and “7ashara”. 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.