7wiyja حويجة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“7wiyja” (حويجة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning little thing, small item.
Meanings
- little thing, small item
- small gift or treat
Usage
7wiyja is the diminutive of 7aja, "thing." It means a little thing, often with an affectionate or modest nuance. In chi 7wiyja, it is used for a small gift, something to nibble or a favor to ask, which softens the request: "bghit nqoul lik chi 7wiyja". The plural 7wayej has also come to mean "belongings" and "clothes." The diminutive is very productive in darija, and it softens what is said or makes it friendlier.
Example
جبت ليك شي حويجة من السفر
jbt lik chi 7wiyja mn ssfer
“I brought you a little something from my trip.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7wiyja” but also “7wija”, “hwija”, “7wiyeja” and “7wijja”. 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 “7wiyja” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “little thing, small item”; “(negated) nothing at all”: 7wija in Tunisian.