hejra هجرة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“hejra” (هجرة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning emigration, leaving to go abroad.
Meanings
- emigration, leaving to go abroad
- immigration (administration)
Usage
Hejra refers to leaving to live abroad, especially for work. The word belongs to a fairly neutral register, close to written language, and often appears in the media, debates and administration: hejra ghir char3iya, "illegal emigration", carte el hejra, "border police record". In casual conversation, for the illegal crossing by boat, people rather say el 7ar9a, and the one who leaves is a 7arraq. The emigrant person is called mhajer, a term that also refers to the diaspora.
Example
برشا شباب يخمموا كان في الهجرة.
barcha chbab ykhammmou ken fel hejra.
“Many young people think only of emigrating.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hejra” but also “hijra” and “hjra”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.