sada9a صدقة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“sada9a” (صدقة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning alms, charitable gift.
Meanings
- alms, charitable gift
- meal given as charity
Usage
The word sadaqa refers to any gift made out of charity: money, food, clothing. It is very common and neutral in register. People often say dar sadaqa ("to give alms") or ttsadeq ("to give alms"). In many families, dayrin sadaqa means that a meal, often couscous, is prepared and offered to the poor, to neighbours or at the mosque, for example for a deceased person or to thank God. It should not be confused with zakat, the obligatory almsgiving, whereas sadaqa remains voluntary. For an English speaker, "charity" works, but "alms" better conveys the religious dimension.
Example
اليوم دايرين صدقة
lyouma dayrin sada9a
“Today we are giving alms.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sada9a” but also “sadaqa”, “sadaka”, “sda9a” and “sadqa”. 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 “sada9a” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “alms, charitable gift”; “good deed with lasting benefit”: sadaka in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “alms, gift to the poor”; “good deed, charitable act”: sadqa in Tunisian.