waja3 وجع
Tunisian Derja · noun
“waja3” (وجع) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning pain, ache.
Meanings
- pain, ache
- trouble, hassle
Usage
Waja3 means physical pain, often with a complement specifying the body part: waja3 ras (headache), waja3 dhar (backache), waja3 kerch (stomach ache). The typical construction is 3andi waja3 fi… (I have a pain in…). Figuratively, waja3 ras is also used for a tiresome business or a headache-inducing hassle. The corresponding verb is yewja3: rasi yewja3ni (my head hurts). In Tounsi, one uses the noun with 3andi, or else the body part as the subject of the verb.
Example
عندي وجع في ضهري من البارح.
3andi waja3 fi dhahri mel bera7.
“I've had a pain in my back since yesterday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “waja3” but also “wja3”, “weja3” and “wjaa”. 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.