ħaġa

Maltese

Root
ħ-w-ġ
5 terms

Etymology

From Arabic حاجة (ḥāja, “need, necessity”). The sense “thing” is present in many Arabic dialects, including all African ones. It originated as a generalization of “necessity” in the sense of “thing[s] needed for some purpose”. Some of those dialects make a distinction in the plural between حاجَات (ḥājāt, “things”) and حَوائِج (ḥawāʔij, “clothes”), but in Maltese the broken form is used for both senses.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈħaː.d͡ʒa/

Noun

ħaġa f (plural ħwejjeġ, paucal ħaġiet)

1. thing; matter; event

   Semmi xi ħaġa tajba li għamilt. ― Name something good you did.