i9a3 إيقاع
Moroccan Darija · noun
“i9a3” (إيقاع) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning musical rhythm.
Meanings
- musical rhythm
- pace, tempo
Usage
A word from Standard Arabic, used in darija mainly when talking about music: the rhythm of a song, of a piece of chaâbi or gnaoua, or percussion rhythms. It is heard with the article: l-i9a3. The register is somewhat formal; in casual conversation, music is often described in other ways, for example with words like dakka or l-mizan among musicians. In the figurative sense (pace of life, work rate), it belongs more to the media and to writing.
Example
هاد الأغنية عندها إيقاع زوين
had l2oghniya 3ndha i9a3 zwin
“This song has a nice rhythm.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “i9a3” but also “iqa3”, “iy9a3” and “2i9a3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 2 is hamza (ء), a glottal stop; 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.