sadqa صدقة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“sadqa” (صدقة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning alms, gift to the poor.
Meanings
- alms, gift to the poor
- good deed, charitable act
Usage
Refers to a voluntary gift made to the needy: money, food or an object. One says a3ta sadqa (to give alms), and the beggar asks for sadqa lillah. The expression sadqa jarya refers to a gift whose benefit lasts, such as a well or a school. A sadqa is often given after a death, for a recovery, or as thanks. It is distinct from zakat, the obligatory almsgiving. The word is pronounced sadqa, with no vowel between d and q.
Example
عطيتو صدقة على روح بابا
3titou sadqa 3la rou7 baba
“I gave him alms for my father's soul.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sadqa” but also “sad9a”, “sadka”, “sadaka” and “sadga”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “sadqa” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “alms, charitable gift”; “meal given as charity”: sada9a in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “alms, charitable gift”; “good deed with lasting benefit”: sadaka in Algerian.