chajra شجرة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“chajra” (شجرة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning tree.
Meanings
- tree
- family tree (chajrat el-3ayla)
Usage
A common word for any tree, pronounced chajra or chojra depending on the region. The collective plural is chjar and the numeric plural is chajrét. To name a species, add a complement: chajrat zitoun, "olive tree", or chajrat karmous, "fig tree". The expression chajrat el-3ayla, "family tree", is a calque of the French. Chajra is also said for a decorated Christmas tree. The word is feminine, so adjectives and verbs agree in the feminine.
Example
عندنا شجرة زيتون قدّام الدار
3andna chajrat zitoun 9oddem eddar
“We have an olive tree in front of the house.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chajra” but also “chojra”, “shajra” and “chejra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chajra” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “tree”; “plant, shrub”: chejra in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “tree”; “family tree (with context)”: chajra in Algerian.