sa7ra صحراء
Tunisian Derja · noun
“sa7ra” (صحراء) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning desert.
Meanings
- desert
- the Sahara, the South
Usage
Sa7ra means desert. In Tunisia, the word mostly evokes the Sahara of the South: Douz, Tozeur and the dunes. One says msafer lel sa7ra for "going off to the desert." The word is also used figuratively for an empty or lifeless place: el blad wallet sa7ra (the town has become a desert). It is common in speech and in writing. It is generally pronounced sa7ra, without the long final vowel of standard Arabic. The plural sa7ari is rare in the spoken language.
Example
مشينا للصحراء في دوز.
mchina lel sa7ra fi Douz.
“We went to the desert, in Douz.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sa7ra” but also “sahra”, “sa7raa”, “sa7ara” and “sahara”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.