7ek حك
Moroccan Darija · verb
“7ek” (حك) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to rub, scratch.
Meanings
- to rub, scratch
- to grate, crush by rubbing
- to itch
Usage
7ekk means to rub or scratch: 7ekk dehri (scratch my back), 7ekk lmarmita (scrub the pot). In cooking, it refers to crushing or rubbing a spice or ingredient to release its aroma. To say "it itches", you use ka7ekkni or kayhreshni depending on the region. The present tense is formed with ka-: kan7ekk (I rub), and the imperative is 7ekk. Note: the noun 7ekk or 7okk (box, jar) is a different word, even though it is written the same way in arabizi.
Example
حك ليا ضهري عافاك
7ekk liya dehri 3afak
“Scratch my back, please.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7ek” but also “7ekk”, “7akk”, “hek” and “7ak”. 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 “7ek” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to scrub, to scour”; “to scratch”: 7ok in Tunisian.