7arf حرف
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7arf” (حرف) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning letter (of the alphabet).
Meanings
- letter (of the alphabet)
- written character
Usage
7arf means a letter of the alphabet, Arabic or Latin. The plural is 7rouf: "7rouf el 3arbi" (the Arabic letters). It is used in class and when spelling or correcting a word: "na9sa 7arf" (a letter is missing). Note that 7arf does not mean a letter in the sense of mail, which is jweb. It should also not be confused with 7arfa (trade, craft). The expression "b el 7arf" means "word for word, to the letter".
Example
إسمك يبدا بأنا حرف؟
esmek yebda b ena 7arf?
“Which letter does your name start with?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7arf” but also “harf” and “7rf”. 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 “7arf” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to twist, distort (words)”; “to falsify (a text)”: 7rref in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to distort, twist (words)”; “to falsify a text”: harref in Algerian.