7ajra حجرة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7ajra” (حجرة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning stone, pebble.
Meanings
- stone, pebble
- rock, boulder
- gemstone
Usage
7ajra is the usual word for a stone, from a small pebble you pick up to a large block. The plural is 7jar or 7jer. 7ajra krima means a precious stone, and the word is also used for the stones of a ring or piece of jewellery. The expression jab 7ajra, "he threw a stone", is common when talking about stone-throwing. Note: in standard Arabic, the same word written with a different vowel can mean a room; that is not the meaning in everyday Tunisian usage, where bit is used for a room.
Example
رد بالك، فمّا حجرة كبيرة في الثنية.
redd belek, famma 7ajra kbira fel thnaya.
“Be careful, there's a big stone on the road.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7ajra” but also “hajra”, “7jra” and “7ajr”. 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 “7ajra” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “stone, pebble”; “unfeeling, unresponsive person”: hadjra in Algerian.