dwira دويرة

Tunisian Derja · noun

“dwira” (دويرة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning small house, cottage.

Meanings

1. small house, cottage
2. modest home, household

Usage

Dwira is the diminutive of dar (house). It refers to a small house, often simple or modest, or a home one is attached to. The diminutive can also convey affection rather than actual size: people say "dwirtna" for "our little home". The word belongs to everyday, familiar language. For an English speaker, the pitfall is to read it as strictly "small": the tone is often tender or humble. In other Arabic usages, the same written form can refer to a small circle. That is not the primary meaning in Tunisia.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dwira” but also “douira”, “dwiraa” and “dwyra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “dwira” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “small house, little house”; “short stroll, short walk”: dwira in Moroccan.