7affa حافة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7affa” (حافة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning edge, rim.
Meanings
- edge, rim
- brink (of a precipice, a crisis)
Usage
7affa means the edge of an object or place, such as that of a table, a glass or a sidewalk. It is mostly used in the construct state: 7affet ettawla, "the edge of the table". Fi 7affa means "at the edge, on the side". The figurative sense, 3la 7affet el-inhiyar, "on the brink of collapse", belongs more to journalistic register, inspired by Standard Arabic. In everyday speech, 7arf or jneb are also heard, depending on the region and context. Do not confuse this word with 7afi, "barefoot".
Example
ما تحطّش الكاس على حافة الطاولة.
ma t7ottech el kes 3la 7affet ettawla.
“Don't put the glass on the edge of the table.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7affa” but also “7afa”, “hafa”, “haffa” and “7affet”. 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.
Type “7affa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “edge, rim”; “edge of a ravine, cliff”: 7afa in Moroccan.