zawya زاوية
Moroccan Darija · noun
“zawya” (زاوية) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning zawiya, Sufi shrine.
Meanings
- zawiya, Sufi shrine
- religious brotherhood
- angle; point of view
Usage
Zawya, plural zwaya, refers first of all to the zawiya: a place linked to a Sufi brotherhood, often built around a saint's tomb. People go there to pray, for baraka or for the moussem. By extension, the word also refers to the brotherhood itself. Many places in Morocco bear this name, such as Zaouïa Ahansal, which explains the French spelling "zaouia". The geometric sense of "angle" also exists, especially at school or in the expression "men had zzawya", meaning "from this point of view". For the corner of a room, people rather say "l9ent".
Example
جدّي كان كيمشي للزاوية كل جمعة
jeddi kan kaymchi l zzawya kol jem3a
“My grandfather used to go to the zawya every Friday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zawya” but also “zawiya”, “zaouia” and “zawia”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “zawya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “angle, point of view”; “corner”: zawya in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “zawiya, saint's shrine”; “angle, corner”: zawya in Tunisian.