7aja حاجة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7aja” (حاجة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning thing, stuff.
Meanings
- thing, stuff
- something
- need, errand to run
Usage
7aja is the most common word for "thing", concrete or abstract. It appears in many expressions: "ay 7aja" (anything at all), "a9all 7aja" (the slightest thing), "7aja okhra" (something else), "ta7 7aja" (nothing at all, in a negative construction). The plural is 7ajet. It can also mean a need or an errand: "3andi 7aja" (I have something to do). Used alone, it is sometimes a euphemism to avoid naming an embarrassing thing. Neutral register, suitable in all situations.
Example
العباد الكلّ يحسدوك على اقلّ حاجة
la3bed ilkoll ya7sdouk 3ala a9all 7aja
“Everyone envies you for the slightest thing.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7aja” but also “haja”, “7ja”, “heja”, “7ajja” and “hajaa”. 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 “7aja” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “thing, stuff”; “need, errand to run”: 7aja in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “thing, something”; “matter, need, something to do”: 7aja in Algerian.