7jema حجامة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7jema” (حجامة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning haircut, hairstyle.
Meanings
- haircut, hairstyle
- hijama, cupping therapy
Usage
In Tunisia, 7jema first means the haircut, especially for men. One says 7ajjem, "to get a haircut", and 7ajjem is also the barber. Makinet 7jema is the hair clipper, and sallet 7jema the barbershop. The same word also means hijama, a traditional practice of bloodletting by cupping, which has come back into fashion. Context generally makes it possible to tell the two meanings apart. For a woman's hairstyle, coiffure, a word borrowed from French, is used instead.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7jema” but also “hjema”, “7jama”, “hjama” and “7ijema”. 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.