za7ma زحمة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“za7ma” (زحمة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning traffic jam, heavy traffic.
Meanings
- traffic jam, heavy traffic
- crowd, crush
Usage
Za7ma is the usual word for a traffic jam, especially at rush hour in Tunis: ettrig fiha za7ma, "the road is jammed". More broadly, it means any crowding: a packed shop, market or government office. The typical construction is fama za7ma or fiha za7ma, "there are lots of people". The corresponding adjective is mez7oum, "packed, congested". The word belongs to the ordinary colloquial register and carries no particular connotation. It is also used as an excuse for being late: t3attelt 3la jal ezza7ma, "I was delayed because of the traffic".
Example
الطريق فيها زحمة كبيرة اليوم
ettrig fiha za7ma kbira lyoum
“There is a huge traffic jam on the road today.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “za7ma” but also “zahma” and “zo7ma”. 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.