tha9afa ثقافة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“tha9afa” (ثقافة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning culture (arts, knowledge).
Meanings
- culture (arts, knowledge)
- general knowledge, education
Usage
Tha9afa comes from Standard Arabic and is used as is in derja to talk about culture. It appears in institutional expressions very common in Tunisia: "dar ethaqafa", the neighbourhood or town house of culture, and "wizaret ethaqafa", the Ministry of Culture. It can also refer to a person's general culture: "3andou tha9afa", "he is cultured". The word never refers to agricultural cultivation, for which "zra3a" is used. In speech, many Tunisians alternate with the French "culture", especially in urban settings.
Example
مشيت لدار الثقافة نتفرج في مسرحية
mchit l dar etha9afa netfarrej fi masra7iya
“I went to the house of culture to see a play.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tha9afa” but also “etha9afa”, “tha9affa” and “thakafa”. 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.