houchi هوشي
Tunisian Derja · particle
“houchi” (هوشي) is a particle in Tunisian Derja meaning (this) is not.
Meanings
- (this) is not
Usage
"Houchi" is a variant of "houch", the negation that combines the pronoun "hou" (he/it) and the negative suffix "-ch". It is used to deny an identity or a state: "mahouch hakka" (it's not like that). The full form with "ma" ("ma houchi") is frequent, but "houchi" is also used alone, often placed after the negated phrase for emphasis. In the feminine, one says "hichi" or "mahich". Pitfall: it is not a noun, and this negation is not combined with a conjugated verb, which takes "ma...ch" directly.
Example
هذا موش داره، هوشي متاعو
hedha mouch dara, houchi mte3ou
“This is not his house, it doesn't belong to him.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “houchi” but also “houch” and “hoch”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.