7obbi حبي

Tunisian Derja · noun

“7obbi” (حبي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning my darling, my love (endearment).

Meanings

1. my darling, my love (endearment)
2. my love for, my affection

Usage

Hobbi is the noun hobb (love) followed by the first-person possessive suffix: literally "my love". It is used mainly as an affectionate form of address, often alone or preceded by ya, to a spouse, a child or a close friend, and very often in online comments to compliment someone. It is used for a man or a woman alike. It also keeps its literal meaning: hobbi lel blad, "my love for the country". Pitfall: the English gloss "friendly" comes from the Standard Arabic adjective "amiable", which does not match how this word is commonly used in Tunisia.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7obbi” but also “7obi”, “hobbi”, “hobi” and “7oubi”. 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 “7obbi” on the Arabic keyboard

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “my love (term of endearment)”; “my love for…”: 7obi in Algerian.