chi3i شيعي
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“chi3i” (شيعي) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning Shiite.
Meanings
- Shiite
Usage
Chi3i means "Shiite" and is used as an adjective or as a noun for a person of the Shiite faith. The feminine is chi3iya and the plural is chi3a, which also refers to Shiism or the Shiite community as a whole. The word belongs mainly to religious, political or news discussions. It is little used in everyday conversation. Since the Moroccan population is overwhelmingly Sunni, the term is used mostly to talk about foreign countries or doctrinal debates. It is often contrasted with sunni, "Sunni". The word can take on a polemical tone depending on the context.
Example
هاد الكتاب كتبو واحد العالم شيعي
had lktab ktbo wa7ed l3alim chi3i
“This book was written by a Shiite scholar.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chi3i” but also “shi3i”, “chii3i”, “chi3y” and “shiy3i”. 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.