i9ama اقامة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“i9ama” (اقامة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning residence, residential complex.
Meanings
- residence, residential complex
- stay, being resident somewhere
Usage
In Morocco, i9ama mainly refers to a residential complex: several apartment buildings grouped together, often fenced and guarded, and given a proper name ("I9ama Nour", for example). It is heard constantly when giving an address or describing housing: sakn f wa7ed l-i9ama. With the article, it is l-i9ama, often pronounced l9ama. The administrative sense of "stay" or "legal residence" also exists, but belongs to a more formal register. Note that it is not a single-family house. For a standalone building, l-3imara is used instead.
Example
ساكن فواحد الإقامة حدا الطريق
sakn f wa7ed l-i9ama 7da t-tri9
“I live in a residential complex near the road.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “i9ama” but also “iqama” and “e9ama”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “i9ama” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “stay, residence (status)”; “residence permit”: iqama in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “residence, official address”; “stay”: iqama in Tunisian.