7jeb حجاب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7jeb” (حجاب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning Islamic veil, headscarf.
Meanings
- Islamic veil, headscarf
- amulet, written charm
Usage
In Tunisia, the word is pronounced 7jeb. In its common sense, it refers to the headscarf worn by Muslim women. One says lebset el 7jeb for "she put on the veil" and mt7ajba for "veiled". In a more traditional register, 7jeb also refers to an amulet: a paper written by a taleb, folded and carried on one's person or hidden, to protect or to bewitch. Context makes it possible to tell the two meanings apart. Kteb 7jeb means "to write an amulet". This second sense touches on folk sorcery and can be pejorative.
Example
أختي لبست الحجاب العام هذا
o5ti lebset el 7jeb el 3am hedha
“My sister started wearing the veil this year.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7jeb” but also “hijab”, “7ijab”, “hjeb” and “7jab”. 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.