Hayya

Hayya is an Arabic term meaning “come on” or “let’s go,” used as an exhortation or invitation. It is typically transliterated as hayya, heyya, or hayā, and is written هَيّا in Arabic. The word is derived from the Arabic root h-y-y, associated with approaching or urging action.

In everyday language, hayya serves as a simple encouragement to begin an action or to join others in a activity. In Islamic practice, hayya appears in the call to prayer (adhan) in phrases such as hayya ’alas-salah (come to prayer) and hayya ’alal-falah (come to success). These lines are used to invite believers to worship and to pursue spiritual goals.

In modern usage, hayya also appears in cultural and media contexts. Notably, it was the title of the official song for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Hayya Hayya (Better Together), released by Trinidad Cardona, Davido, and Aisha. The phrase has since seen use in branding and popular media, sometimes as a general call to action or as a lyric fragment within songs and advertisements.

Variations in transliteration (such as heyya or haia) reflect differing systems for rendering Arabic sounds into Latin script. The term remains widely recognized in Arabic-speaking communities and in contexts influenced by Arabic language and culture.