9hiouwa قهيوة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9hiouwa” (قهيوة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning a little coffee.
Meanings
- a little coffee
- coffee break with friends
Usage
9hiwa is the diminutive of 9ahwa, "coffee". The diminutive expresses affection and conviviality more than the size of the cup. It is used mostly to suggest having a coffee: "nchorbou 9hiwa ?" ("shall we have a little coffee?"). The word also refers to the time spent together, at home or at the neighbourhood café: "na3mlou 9hiwa" ("let's have a coffee"). The register is familiar and warm. An invitation put this way is hard to refuse.
Example
تعالى نشربو قهيوة في القهوة.
ta3ala nochorbou 9hiwa fel 9ahwa.
“Come, let's have a coffee at the café.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “9hiouwa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.