ahouki اهوكي
Tunisian Derja · particle
“ahouki” (اهوكي) is a particle in Tunisian Derja meaning and here she is; and so.
Meanings
- and here she is; and so
- here she comes, look at her
Usage
Ahouki is the feminine form of the presentative "ahouka" (here he is, there he is). In a story, it marks a step or a consequence: "ahouki 3awdet dhanet el 7anout" (and now she's gone and repainted the shop). It can also point to a person present: "ahouki jet" (here she is, she's arriving). The word is very much spoken, common in anecdotes and gossip. It varies in gender and number: ahouka in the masculine, ahoumma in the plural. It corresponds roughly to "and now she…" or "so, there she…".
Example
أهوكي جات بعد ما استنيناها ساعة.
ahouki jet ba3d ma stannineha se3a.
“Here she comes, after we waited for her for an hour.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ahouki” but also “ahoukey”, “ahouky” and “ahwki”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.