mowatin مواطن
Moroccan Darija · noun
“mowatin” (مواطن) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning citizen.
Meanings
- citizen
Usage
Mowatin means a citizen, especially in relation to the state, the administration or public services. It is heard a lot in debates and discussions about public life, for example lmowatin lbasit ("the ordinary citizen") for ordinary, modest people, or l7o9o9 dyal lmowatin ("citizens' rights"). The feminine is mowatina and the plural is mowatinin. Its register is rather formal. To talk simply about "people", everyday conversation prefers nnas. This word is not the equivalent of "compatriot"; for that, say wld lblad.
Example
أنا مواطن مغربي وعندي الحق نصوت
ana mowatin meghribi w 3ndi l7e9 nsowwet
“I am a Moroccan citizen and I have the right to vote.”
Forms
| feminine | mowaTina |
|---|---|
| plural | mowaTinin |
| feminine plural | mowaTinat |
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mowatin” but also “mwatin”, “mouwatin” and “mowaten”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.