siya7a سياحة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“siya7a” (سياحة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning tourism.
Meanings
- tourism
- outing, pleasure trip
Usage
Siya7a refers to tourism as a sector or activity: one speaks of siya7a f lmeghrib, or lkhedma f siya7a (working in tourism). In everyday conversation, the word also takes on the lighter sense of an outing or trip to clear one's head. It is often paired with doran (to wander, to stroll), notably to reproach someone for treating a serious errand as a stroll. The tourist is often called saye7, plural sowwa7.
Example
بهال إيلا هنا بغينا سياحة ودوران
bhal ila hna bghina siyaha odoran
“As if we were here to sightsee and wander around.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “siya7a” but also “siyaha”, “sya7a”, “siaha” and “syaha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “siya7a” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “tourism, tourist sector”; “outing, excursion, sightseeing”: siya7a in Tunisian.