chahwa شهوة

Tunisian Derja · noun

“chahwa” (شهوة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning craving, desire (especially for food).

Meanings

1. craving, desire (especially for food)
2. carnal desire, lust
3. whim, treat one allows oneself

Usage

In everyday use, "chahwa" mainly means a craving, often to eat something specific: "3andi chahwa fi kosksi" (I feel like having couscous). The cravings of pregnant women also go by this name. The proverb "elli chehi chahwa ydirha fi 3chéh" says that everyone indulges themselves according to their means. The sense of sexual desire exists, especially in "chahwa jinsiya", in a more formal or religious register. The word is therefore not vulgar in itself, but context matters. The corresponding verb is "chha" (to feel like, to crave).

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chahwa” but also “chahoua”, “chahwet”, “chahwaa”, “chahouet” and “chahawatt”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “chahwa” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “desire, strong craving”; “carnal desire, lust”: chahwa in Moroccan.