sa3ada سعادة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“sa3ada” (سعادة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning happiness.
Meanings
- happiness
- luck, good fortune
Usage
Sa3ada refers to happiness in the general sense. The word is used mainly in wishes and formal phrases: "kantmenna lik ssa3ada", on the occasion of a wedding or a birthday. In everyday conversation, people prefer "lfer7a" for the joy of a moment, and sa3ada keeps a somewhat solemn tone. Do not confuse it with the exclamation "s3dat" ("happy is she who…"), heard in phrases like "s3dat li ghadi tddik". It comes from the same root, but it is a verb.
Example
كنتمنى ليك سعادة
kantmaana lik sa3ada
“I wish you happiness.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sa3ada” but also “saada” and “s3ada”. 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.
Type “sa3ada” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “happiness”; “joy, contentment”: sa3ada in Algerian.