mama ماما
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mama” (ماما) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning mom, mother (affectionate term).
Meanings
- mom, mother (affectionate term)
Usage
Mama is the most common word to call one's mother or refer to her affectionately. It works both as a direct address ("ya mama") and in reference ("mama 9altli"). The more formal word is omm, and in some families people say ommi or yemma. As in English, an adult speaking to a child may refer to themselves as mama ("ena mama"). It is also used, ironically, before the first name of an older or influential woman. A possessive is rarely added: mama alone means "my mother".
Example
ماما طيّبتلنا كسكسي اليوم.
mama tayebtelna kosksi lyoum.
“Mom made us couscous today.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mama” but also “mamma” and “mema”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mama” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “mom”; “my mother”: mama in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “mom, mother”: mama in Algerian.