raj3a رجعة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“raj3a” (رجعة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning return, coming back.
Meanings
- return, coming back
- looking back, recap
Usage
Raj3a (or "rej3a") is the noun derived from the verb "rja3" (to come back). It appears in fixed phrases such as "rou7a bla raj3a" (a one-way trip) or "bla raj3a" (for good). In a story, "na3mlou raj3a" means "let's go back a little". The word belongs to everyday register and also appears in the press and on social media. For a journey, people say "el mchia w er-raj3a" (the outward trip and the return). Pitfall: "raj3a" does not mean reward or compensation, a sense the word can have elsewhere.
Example
مشى لفرنسا روحة بلا رجعة.
mcha l fransa rou7a bla raj3a.
“He went to France on a one-way trip, no return.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “raj3a” but also “rej3a”, “raja3”, “rajaa” and “rejaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.