hajjala هجالة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“hajjala” (هجالة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning widow.
Meanings
- widow
- divorced woman, woman living alone
Usage
Hajjala is a typically Tunisian word. It refers to a widow and, more broadly, to a woman who has lost her husband or separated from him and lives alone. It belongs to traditional speech. The plural is hjajel. Depending on context, the word can carry a nuance of pity or social judgment. It is used in expressions about loneliness or hardship, for example a hajjala raising her children. For an English speaker, beware: it refers neither to a simple single woman nor to an insult. The tone depends on the speaker.
Example
بقات هجّالة وربّات صغارها وحدها
b9at hajjala w rabbet sgharha wa7adha
“She was left a widow and raised her children on her own.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hajjala” but also “hajjela”, “hjala” and “hajala”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “hajjala” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “widow”; “divorced woman, woman without a husband”: hadjala in Algerian.