chahwa شهوة

Moroccan Darija · noun

“chahwa” (شهوة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning desire, strong craving.

Meanings

1. desire, strong craving
2. carnal desire, lust

Usage

Chahwa means an intense desire, whether for food, for a pleasure or, in a more religious or moral register, for carnal desire. The word sounds rather formal: it is heard in sermons and in discussions of fasting or self-control. In everyday conversation, for a simple wish to eat, people often prefer bghit or jani lkhater. Important pitfall: do not confuse it with chouha (scandal, public shame), which is very frequent in expressions such as dar chouha ("to make a scandal"). The two words look alike in arabizi, but their meanings have nothing in common.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chahwa” but also “cha8wa”, “ch8wa” and “che8wa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.

Type “chahwa” on the Arabic keyboard

In Tunisian Derja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “craving, desire (especially for food)”; “carnal desire, lust”: chahwa in Tunisian.