fat7a فتحة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“fat7a” (فتحة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning opening, hole.
Meanings
- opening, hole
- auspicious start
- fatha vowel mark
Usage
Fat7a first means an opening or a small hole something passes through: a slit in a box, an opening in a wall or a garment. Figuratively, you wish someone that something (a wedding, a job, a birth) be "fat7at khir", that is, a start bringing good luck. At school, the word also refers to the diacritic mark for the vowel "a". Do not confuse it with the Fatiha, the first sura of the Quran. The word is common and neutral.
Example
خلّي فتحة صغيرة باش يدخل الهوا
khalli fat7a sghira bech yodkhol el hwa
“Leave a small opening so the air can come in.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fat7a” but also “fet7a”, “fatha” and “fetha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.