What do the numbers 3, 7 and 9 mean in Darija writing?
They replace Arabic letters without a Latin equivalent: 3 = ع (guttural sound, 3afak ), 7 = ح (h strongly blown, 7bibi ), 9 = ق (k pronounced at the back of the throat, 9ehwa ), 5 = خ (jota, also written kh ), 2 = ء (glottal stop). This system is called arabizi or “SMS writing”.
Numbers that replace letters (arabizi)
| Digit | Arabic letter & sound | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | ع — guttural sound (ayn) | 3lash (pourquoi), 3afak, sa3a (heure) |
| 7 | ح — h très soufflé | 7bibi (mon amour), 7out (poisson), l7em (viande) |
| 9 | ق — deep k | 9ehwa (café), 9alb (cœur), tri9 (route) |
| 5 or kh | خ — like the jota | 5obz / khobz (pain), 5ali / khali (oncle) |
| 2 | ء — coup de glotte | so2al (question), ma2 (eau, rare) |
| 6 or t | ط — t emphatic | 6omobil / tomobil (voiture) |
| 8 or gh | غ — r grasseyé | 8ali / ghali (cher) |
The numbers 3, 7 and 9 are the most common; 5, 6, 8 and 2 are often replaced by kh , t , gh and ' . On this site we use 3, 7, 9 and kh / gh .
Write Darija in Latin letters
There is no single rule: everyone writes as they want, with a French influence. The same word therefore has several spellings, all correct:
| English | Common variants | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you | shukran / choukran / chokran | شكرا |
| I love you | kanbghik / kanbrik / kanebghik | كنبغيك |
| Okay | wakha / wa5a / wakhkha | واخا |
| A lot | bzzaf / bezzaf / bezaf | بزاف |
| Bread | khobz / 5obz / khoubz | خبز |
| Coffee | qehwa / 9ahwa / kahwa | قهوة |
Marks: sh or ch = ش, or or u = و, and often note a very short sound ( mezyan ), and doubled consonants are pronounced long ( bzzaf , 7emmes ).
The Arabic alphabet used for Darija
Darija uses the 28 letters of Arabic, plus a letter specific to Morocco: ڭ / گ for the hard g sound (as in "station"), absent from standard Arabic. Some Standard Arabic letters (ث ذ ظ) are pronounced simply t, d, d in Darija.
| Letter | Sound / transliteration | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ا | a / alif | long a — baba |
| ب | b | bent (fille) |
| ت | t | tmer (dattes) |
| ث | t (th en arabe standard) | tlata (trois) |
| ج | j | jouj (deux) |
| ح | 7 (h blown) | 7amed (citron) |
| خ | kh | khobz (pain) |
| د | d | dar (maison) |
| ذ | d (dh in standard Arabic) | dib (loup) |
| ر | r rolled | rajel (homme) |
| ز | z | zwin (beau) |
| س | s | sba7 (matin) |
| ش | sh / ch | shukran (merci) |
| ص | emphatic | safi (ça suffit) |
| ض | d emphatic | daba (maintenant) |
| ط | t emphatic (6) | tomobil (voiture) |
| ظ | d emphatic | rare en darija |
| ع | 3 (guttural) | 3afak (s'il te plaît) |
| غ | gh (r grasseyé) | ghali (cher) |
| ف | f | flous (argent) |
| ق | q/9 (deep k) | qehwa (café) |
| ك | k | kbir (grand) |
| ڭ / گ | g (hard) | gra3 (courgette) |
| ل | l | lil (nuit) |
| م | m | mezyan (bien) |
| ن | n | n3na3 (menthe) |
| ه | h light | hna (ici) |
| و | w/or | wakha (d'accord) |
| ي | y / i | yallah (allez) |
p and v do not exist in Arabic: French loanwords are written with ب (pizza → bitza ) or with the modified letters پ and ڤ.
Reading a word in Darija: decoded examples
- 3afak → 3 = ع, so “ʿa-fak”: عفاك , please.
- 7bibti → 7 = ح, “ḥ-bib-ti”: حبيبتي , my dear.
- 9ehwa → 9 = ق, “q-eh-wa”: قهوة , coffee.
- sb7 l-khir → “sbaḥ l-khir”: صباح الخير , hello.
- bsh7al → “b-sh-ḥal”: بشحال , how many.
Practice with the numbers in Darija and the dictionary of essential words .
Write in Darija on your phone
Two options: the Arabic keyboard (add “Arabic (Morocco)” in your phone settings) or simply the French keyboard with the numbers 3, 7, 9. In SMS, WhatsApp and on social networks, the majority of Moroccans under 40 write in Latin letters; the Arabic alphabet remains used for more formal texts, poetry and official publications.
Frequently asked questions
Does Darija have its own alphabet?
What does 3 mean in Moroccan words?
What does 7 mean in Darija?
What does 9 mean in Darija?
How to write Darija on a keyboard?
Why is the same Moroccan word written in several ways?
See every sentence in Arabic, Latin and audio
SayDarija displays each translation in both scripts — Arabic and Latin letters with numbers — and reads it aloud, so you can connect the writing with the sound.
Download on App Store