wlada ولادة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“wlada” (ولادة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning birth, being born.
Meanings
- birth, being born
- childbirth
Usage
Wlada means the birth of a child, and often childbirth itself, seen from the mother's side. It is heard in family and medical contexts: people ask how the wlada went, or talk about a difficult wlada or a wlada at the clinic. The word is related to the verb wled "to give birth". For the official date of birth, a more standard phrasing is used. Remember that in darija the same word covers both the event of birth and the act of giving birth.
Example
الولادة دازت مزيان، الحمد لله
lwlada dazt mzyan, l7amdulillah
“The birth went well, thank God.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wlada” but also “oulada” and “wilada”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “wlada” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “childbirth”; “birth”: wleda in Tunisian.