jadda جدة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“jadda” (جدة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning grandmother.
Meanings
- grandmother
- female ancestor
Usage
Jadda means "grandmother". It is used mostly with a possessive: jaddti, "my grandmother", jaddtek, "your grandmother". To address her or speak of her affectionately, many families prefer "granny", "grandma" or other pet names depending on the region. Jadda is therefore slightly more neutral or descriptive. Beware of the written homograph: the same Arabic spelling also denotes the Saudi city of Jeddah, which is very common in Tunisian news. Grandfather is jedd or jeddi.
Example
جدتي تطيب أحسن كسكسي في الدنيا.
jaddti tteyyeb a7sen kosksi fi eddenya.
“My grandmother makes the best couscous in the world.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jadda” but also “jedda”, “jada”, “jaddti” and “jedti”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “jadda” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “grandmother”: jedda in Moroccan.