hodhod هدهد
Moroccan Darija · noun
“hodhod” (هدهد) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning hoopoe (bird).
Meanings
- hoopoe (bird)
Usage
Hodhod means the hoopoe, a bird recognisable by its crest and fairly common in the Moroccan countryside. Everyone knows the word, notably thanks to the Quranic story of Solomon, in which the hoopoe acts as a messenger. In folk beliefs, it is sometimes credited with certain virtues or traditional uses. These practices remain marginal and are often criticised. In everyday conversation, the word is simply used to name the bird.
Example
شفت هدهد فالجردة اليوم
cheft hodhod f jjerda lyoum
“I saw a hoopoe in the garden today.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hodhod” but also “8od8od” and “hdhd”. 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.