bouya بويا
Tunisian Derja · noun
“bouya” (بويا) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning my father, dad.
Meanings
- my father, dad
- affectionate address between men
Usage
Bouya means "my father". It is more traditional than baba or bii, which young people in cities often prefer, but it is still very common, especially in the regions and among older people. With ya, ya bouya also serves as an affectionate address or exclamation between men, or from an elder to a younger person: "my friend", "mate". It can express surprise or insistence (ya bouya, chnowa hedha!). The possessive is already included: you don't say bouya mte3i.
Example
بويا خدّام في الفلاحة.
bouya khaddem fel-fle7a.
“My father works in farming.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “bouya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “bouya” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “my father”; “respectful term for an elder”: bouya in Algerian.