7outa حوتة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7outa” (حوتة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning a fish (single).
Meanings
- a fish (single)
Usage
7outa is the singular unit noun of 7out, "fish" in the collective sense. You say 7out for fish in general, as food or as a species (n7ebb el 7out, "I like fish"), and 7outa for a single fish that is counted or pointed out. The countable plural is 7outet or 7witet depending on the region. The word is neutral and used every day, especially at the market and in cooking. Pitfall: do not use 7outa to talk about fish as a dish in general, where 7out is more natural.
Example
شريت حوتة كبيرة من السوق.
chrit 7outa kbira mel souk.
“I bought a big fish at the market.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7outa” but also “houta”, “7ota” and “hota”. 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 “7outa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “a fish”: 7outa in Moroccan.