wati واطى
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“wati” (واطى) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning low, not high.
Meanings
- low, not high
- base, mean (figurative)
Usage
Wati describes something not high: a chair, a table, a wall, a ceiling. It is often written with a final alif (واطى), but the regular form is واطي. The feminine is watya. Figuratively, it describes a mean person or behavior, lacking dignity: "rajel wati" (a vile man). In this sense, the word is quite harsh. Do not confuse it with the verb watta (to lower, to bring down), which has the same root. For a low voice or volume, one says "habbat" (to lower) rather than using the adjective.
Example
الكرسي هذا واطي برشا.
el korsi hedha wati barcha.
“This chair is very low.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “wati” but also “wa6i”, “waty” and “ouati”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 6 is emphatic ta (ط).