hawka هاوكا
Tunisian Derja · particle
“hawka” (هاوكا) is a particle in Tunisian Derja meaning there it is, over there.
Meanings
- there it is, over there
- there you go, so
- right there
Usage
The particle hawka is used to point out something or someone, often a bit far away: "hawka 3al ymin" (it's there, on the right). It takes pronoun suffixes: hawkah (there he/it is), hawkaha (there she/it is), hawkahom (there they are). It is distinct from hani or hahou, which point to something closer. In conversation, it also introduces an observation, like "there you go" in English: "hawka ra9" (there, it's done). The register is colloquial and very common in speech.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hawka” but also “haouka”, “hauka”, “houka” and “hawke”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find هاوكا and هوكة, all the same word.