dhi9 ضيق

Tunisian Derja · noun

“dhi9” (ضيق) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning distress, hardship, difficult time.

Meanings

1. distress, hardship, difficult time
2. narrowness, lack of space
3. shortness of breath (dhi9 nafs)

Usage

Dhi9 refers to a painful situation: financial strain, anguish or hardship. It is heard in religious formulas such as "fel dhi9" (in hardship) or "rabbi yfarrej" (may God bring relief). It also expresses lack of space. "Dhi9 nafs" or "dhi9 fi nafs" means shortness of breath, and is commonly used to talk about asthma. The adjective for narrow or tight is dhayye9 (feminine dhay9a): "essebbat dhayye9" (the shoe is tight). Be careful not to confuse the noun dhi9 with this adjective.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dhi9” but also “dhiq”, “di9”, “dhik” and “dhee9”. 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.

Type “dhi9” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “narrow, tight”; “cramped, small (place)”: dyye9 in Moroccan.

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “oppression, anguish, tightness”; “narrow, tight”: dhi9 in Algerian.