chqi9 شقيق
Tunisian Derja · noun
“chqi9” (شقيق) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning full brother (same father and mother).
Meanings
- full brother (same father and mother)
- fraternal (country, people)
Usage
In everyday speech, one says "khou" for "brother." Chqi9 specifies a brother with the same father and the same mother: "khouh chqi9." The word belongs to a formal register, close to standard Arabic. It is found mostly in the political formula "bled 3arbi chqi9" or "cha3b chqi9" (sister country, brother people), very common in the media and in commentary. Be careful not to confuse it with "chqi9a", which in Tunisia also means a migraine.
Example
هو خوه الشقيق موش من باباه برك.
howa khouh echchqi9 mouch men babah bark.
“He is his full brother, not just on his father's side.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chqi9” but also “cha9i9”, “chki9”, “chaqiq” and “chqiq”. 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.