gawri ڨاوري
Tunisian Derja · noun
“gawri” (ڨاوري) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning European, Westerner.
Meanings
- European, Westerner
- Western foreigner
Usage
Gawri commonly refers to a European or, more broadly, a Westerner, often a tourist or a French person. The word is informal and generally neutral in conversation, but it marks distance: it is used for someone seen as outside Tunisian society. Depending on tone, it can take on a mocking nuance, for example for a Tunisian who adopts manners seen as foreign. The feminine is gawriya. In a formal context, a French speaker would prefer a more precise term, such as the nationality, to avoid any connotation.
Example
جارنا ڨاوري، يسكن في الحمامات
jarna gawri, yaskon fel Hammamet
“Our neighbor is a European, he lives in Hammamet.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “gawri” but also “gaouri”, “gouri”, “gawry” and “gaweri”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “gawri” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “European, Westerner”; “non-Muslim foreigner”: gawri in Algerian.