7lou حلو
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“7lou” (حلو) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning sweet, sugary.
Meanings
- sweet, sugary
- nice, pretty, cute
- fresh (unsalted water)
Usage
7lou (feminine 7lwa, plural 7lwin) first means sweet: ettay 7lou barcha, "the tea is too sweet". It is very often used figuratively for a person, a song or a pleasant moment: 7lwa barcha, "very cute". The comparative and superlative a7la is common: a7la 7keya, "the most beautiful story". Ma 7lou means fresh water, as opposed to salt water. The noun 7lou or 7lowa also means sweets. Note: 7lou does not mean "kind" in the moral sense.
Example
التاي حلو برشا، ما تزيدش سكر
ettay 7lou barcha, ma tzidech sokkor
“The tea is very sweet, don't add any sugar.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7lou” but also “hlou”, “7lu” and “7low”. 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 “7lou” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “sweet, sugary”; “pleasant, sweet (words)”: 7lou in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “sweet to the taste”; “pleasant, kind”: 7lou in Algerian.