wakala وكالة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“wakala” (وكالة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning agency (commercial, bank, travel).
Meanings
- agency (commercial, bank, travel)
- power of attorney
Usage
Wakala means an agency in the commercial sense: a travel agency, a real estate agency or a bank branch. The word is common in daily life and in administration. It takes the article: lwakala. It is often followed by a complement: "wakala d l2asfar" (travel agency). In legal language, the word also means power of attorney, for example in "3tah lwakala" (he gave him power of attorney). In speech, many Moroccans also say "l'agence" in French, especially for a bank.
Example
تنقلب على شي وكالة
tan9lb 3la shi wakala
“I'm looking for an agency.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wakala” but also “wikala” and “wakal”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “wakala” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “agency (travel, bank…)”; “power of attorney”: wkala in Tunisian.