mawa3ich ماواعيش
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“mawa3ich” (ماواعيش) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning unconscious, passed out.
Meanings
- unconscious, passed out
- unaware, not lucid
Usage
Ma wa3ich is the negative form of wa3i, "conscious, awake", with the negation ma…ch. Literally, it describes a person who has fainted or is in a dazed state, for example after an accident: kan ma wa3ich, "he was unconscious". Figuratively, it describes someone who doesn't realize what they are doing. The feminine is ma wa3yach. The word belongs to a common, slightly formal register. In informal speech, people more readily say ma fayeqch for someone who is not awake or not lucid.
Example
طاح فالأرض وبقى ماواعيش شي شوية
Ta7 fl'arD w b9a ma wa3ich chi chwiya
“He fell to the ground and stayed unconscious for a little while.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mawa3ich” but also “mawa3iche”. 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.