mouta موتى

Tunisian Derja · noun

“mouta” (موتى) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning the dead, the deceased.

Meanings

1. the dead, the deceased
2. deceased victims (accident)
3. a death, a way of dying

Usage

Mouta is the plural meaning the dead. It is used mainly in religious phrases, such as rabbi yarham moutana (may God have mercy on our dead), and in the news to count the victims of an accident or disaster. In casual conversation, mayytin is more often used for "dead". Avoid using it in the singular: a dead person is mayyet. Depending on context, it may be found figuratively to say one is exhausted, but this use is rarer.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mouta” but also “mota”, “moutè”, “mwta”, “mowta” and “mouuta”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find موتى and موتة, all the same word.

Type “mouta” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

The same word also exists in Moroccan Darija, written موتة, where it means “a death, manner of dying”: mouta in Moroccan.