bba ببا
Tunisian Derja · noun
“bba” (ببا) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning dad, father.
Meanings
- dad, father
- term of endearment for a child
Usage
Bba (or bebba) is the familiar, affectionate word for father. It is used within the family and among close people, more tenderly than bou, which stays more neutral. A child calls their father this, and an adult talks about their father this way within the family: "bba mouch fi ddar". Parents also address their children with it as a term of endearment, like the French "mon petit", which may surprise an English speaker. With a possessive, one says bouya or babaya instead. Not to be confused with baba, more common among young people and close to the French "papa".
Example
ببا مشى للخدمة الصباح بكري.
bba mcha lel khedma sbe7 bekri.
“Dad left for work early this morning.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bba” but also “bebba”, “baba” and “bbaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “bba” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “dad, my father”; “father (with possessive)”: bba in Moroccan.