chi99a شقة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“chi99a” (شقة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning apartment, flat.
Meanings
- apartment, flat
Usage
Chi99a refers to an apartment in a building. The word is in general use, notably in rental or sale listings: chi99a mfarcha means "furnished apartment". In conversation, many Tunisians also say "appartement" or "s+2" (one living room plus two bedrooms), following estate-agent vocabulary. For a detached house, dar is used. The plural is chi9ef or chi99at.
Example
نلوّج على شقّة قريبة للخدمة.
nlawej 3la chi99a 9riba lel khedma.
“I'm looking for an apartment near work.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chi99a” but also “che99a”, “chi9a”, “chekka” and “chi9qa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.