9owwa قوة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9owwa” (قوة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning strength, power.
Meanings
- strength, power
- by force, necessarily (bel 9owwa)
- so much, because of (men 9owwet)
Usage
9owwa means physical strength or power: 3andou 9owwa, "he is strong". The expression bel 9owwa means "by force", but also "necessarily, inevitably". In the construct state, it is 9owwet. The phrase men 9owwet followed by a noun expresses cause through intensity: men 9owwet el 5of, "he was so scared". This is the sense of "because of, so much", which does not appear in a standard Arabic dictionary. The register is neutral. In arabizi, the initial consonant is most often written 9 and the vowel o or ou.
Example
هاذا راجل عندو قوة كبيرة
hedha rajel 3andou 9owwa kbira
“This man has great strength.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9owwa” but also “9owa”, “9owet”, “9ouwa”, “qowa” and “qowat”. 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.
Type “9owwa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “physical strength, vigor”; “power, might”: 9wwa in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “strength, power”; “awesome, great (praise)”: qowwa in Algerian.