7acha حاشى
Tunisian Derja · expression
“7acha” (حاشى) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning with all due respect.
Meanings
- with all due respect
- except, apart from
Usage
7acha is a very common politeness formula in Tunisia. It is placed before or after the mention of something considered low, dirty or degrading (an animal, the toilet, an insult), to spare the listener or the person being compared. It is used with a pronoun (7achek, 7achakom), or in the phrase 7acha lma7all, "with respect to this place". It is also used in pejorative comparisons, to spare those being compared to: "7acha eddahhen", "with respect to the painter". Leaving it out can come across as impolite.
Example
دخل كيما الحمار، حاشاك.
dkhal kima l7mar, 7achek.
“He barged in like a donkey, no offence to you.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7acha” but also “hacha”, “7asha”, “hasha” and “7ache”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find حاشى and حاشة, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.