chechia شاشية
Tunisian Derja · noun
“chechia” (شاشية) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning chechia, red felt cap.
Meanings
- chechia, red felt cap
Usage
The chechia is the traditional Tunisian cap, made of felted wool, usually red. It is made by the "chouachia", whose souk is in Tunis. Today it is worn mainly at festivals and weddings and by older men. It also has value as a symbol of heritage. A common expression, "chechia hedha 3la ras hedha", refers to shifting a problem around without solving it, like paying off one debt with another. The plural is "chwachi".
Example
جدّي ما يخرجش من الدار من غير شاشيتو
jeddi ma yokhrojch mel dar men ghir chechitou
“My grandfather never leaves the house without his chechia.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chechia” but also “chachia”, “chéchia”, “shashia” and “chechya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “chechia” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “wool beanie”; “chechia, traditional skullcap”: chachiya in Algerian.