hwa هوا
Tunisian Derja · noun
“hwa” (هوا) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning air.
Meanings
- air
- wind, weather
- weather
Usage
Hwa means the air we breathe and, by extension, the wind or the weather. One says "el hwa bérd" (it's cool, there's cool air) and "o5roj chomm chwaya hwa" (go out and get some air). This last sense resembles the English "get some air". Pay attention to the spelling: in written Tunisian Arabic, the pronoun "he, him" (houwa) is often written the same way. Only context then tells them apart.
Example
اخرج شمّ شويّة هوا، راك قعدت النهار الكلّ في الدار
o5roj chomm chwaya hwa, rak 9a3adt n'har lkol fi dar
“Go out and get a bit of fresh air, you've stayed at home the whole day.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hwa” but also “hawa”, “howa”, “hoa”, “hwe” and “hawii”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find هوا and هواء, all the same word.