7adh حظ
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7adh” (حظ) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning luck, good fortune.
Meanings
- luck, good fortune
- fate, lot
Usage
7adh is the usual word for luck in Tunisia. It is built mainly with "3and": "3andou 7adh" (he is lucky), "ma3andich 7adh" (I have no luck). It is specified with "fi" for the area: "ma 3andouch 7adh fi lekhdma" (he has no luck at work). To wish someone good luck, people say "7adh sa3id" or "rabbi ywaf9ek". The word can also refer to the fate that falls to someone, with a nuance of fatalism. It is used in all registers, from colloquial speech to more formal wishes.
Example
والله ما عنديش حظ، كل مرة نخسر
wallah ma3andich 7adh, kol marra nekhser
“Honestly, I have no luck, I lose every time.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7adh” but also “7ad”, “hadh” and “7adhh”. 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.