rou3a روعه
Tunisian Derja · noun
“rou3a” (روعه) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning marvel, splendor.
Meanings
- marvel, splendor
- amazing! (exclamation)
Usage
Rou3a (or raw3a) is used mainly as an admiring exclamation: "rou3a!" ("magnificent!"). It is very common in comments under songs, photos and videos. It can follow a noun to praise it, as in "sout rou3a" ("a superb voice"), or be used with bsara7a ("frankly"). The word comes from Standard Arabic. In more spontaneous derja, people also say mezyena, behya or zwayza. Rou3a stays invariable: it takes no gender or number agreement when used as a qualifier.
Example
الغنية هاذي روعة، نسمع فيها كل يوم.
el ghnaya hedhi rou3a, nesma3 fiha kol youm.
“This song is wonderful, I listen to it every day.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “rou3a” but also “raw3a”, “rawaa” and “rao3a”. 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.