63 Common Hebrew Words Every Traveler Should Know
Renán L. Cuervo
Content Writer
Planning to visit Israel or developing an interest in Hebrew? Learn these 63 common Hebrew words and phrases to get a head start on the language and your travel plans!
Why learn Hebrew words and phrases?
Why wouldn’t you? Whether you’re planning a trip to Israel or simply want to learn the country’s language, picking up common Hebrew words can benefit you greatly.
For starters, if you’re going to Israel, knowing some words will help you travel around more confidently. Think about it: you’ll rely less on phrasebooks, are less likely to get caught in miscommunication, and will understand more of the Hebrew you read and hear.
Second, knowing and using everyday phrases in a foreign language is an easy way to get brownie points with the locals.
Lastly, frequently used Hebrew vocabulary will allow you to understand the culture surrounding the language much better.
So, are you ready to learn some common Hebrew words and phrases? Jump to this list, or read along and learn more about this ancient language. If you’re interested in learning more Hebrew words, check out our frequency list of 625 Hebrew Words.
Lastly, if you want to learn Hebrew pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar all in one place, download and use the Fluent Forever app.
Where is Hebrew spoken?
Israel is the only country where Hebrew is the official language since 1948, in the aftermath of World War 2. Currently, around 8,300,000 people speak Hebrew in Israel as a first or second language. Other significant languages spoken by Israelites include Arabic and Russian.
How many people speak Hebrew?
Hebrew is spoken by 9,387,050 people worldwide. As we already mentioned, more than 8 million of these are based in Israel. Outside of the Middle East, the largest population of speakers – 220,000 of them – is found in the United States.
History of the Hebrew language
Modern-day Hebrew is drastically different from the original Biblical or Classical version of the language. The latter was an ancient tongue that emerged sometime in 1,000 B.C. Back then, Jewish people used this version of Hebrew to record their history, literature, and religion.
During the Roman Empire, however, Hebrew was almost wiped out of existence. Fortunately, surviving Jews kept it alive in its written form. Later, in the 19th century, the language experienced a revival thanks to Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who wrote the first Modern Hebrew Dictionary, and other Jewish intellectuals.
This re-emerging version of the language was influenced by European culture and languages – especially French and German – and the need to come up with words for things that didn’t exist in Biblical times.
Therefore, elements like grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary in Modern Hebrew have all changed significantly compared to its Classical version.
You can learn more about the history of Hebrew and how the language has changed in the last centuries in the video below:
Quick intro to the Hebrew language
Hebrew is read from right to left and has an alphabet of 27 letters. This alphabet is an abjad: a system where only consonants are represented.
That said, some of these letters can function as vowels. A system of points, dashes, and lines called niqqud was developed to label consonants that are serving as vowels.
The following table shows the full alphabet:
| Alef | Bet | Gimel | Dalet | He | Waw/Vav | Zayin | Chet | Tet | Yod | Kaf |
| א | ב | ג | ד | ה | ו | ז | ח | ט | י | כ |
| ך | ||||||||||
| Lamed | Mem | Nun | Samech | Ayin | Pe | Tsadi | Qof | Resh | Shin | Tav |
| ל | מ | נ | ס | ע | פ | צ | ק | ר | ש | ת |
| ם | ן | ף | ץ |
In terms of pronunciation, words in Hebrew are generally stressed on the last syllable, and the language doesn’t have regional dialects.
63 essential Hebrew words for travelers
Keep these common Hebrew words and phrases handy in case you’re planning to travel to Israel or meet up with native speakers. Remember, you can learn more Hebrew vocabulary using the Fluent Forever app! Our integrated flashcard system makes creating, studying, and reviewing word and sentence flashcards quick, easy, and fun!
Greetings & courtesies
| # | Hebrew term | English translation | Romanized pronunciation |
| 1 | שלום | Hello | Shallom |
| 2 | להתראות | Goodbye / See you later | Lehitraot |
| 3 | בוקר טוב | Good morning | Boker tov |
| 4 | לילה טוב | Good night | Layla tov |
| 5 | ערב טוב | Good evening | Erev tov |
| 6 | תודה | Thank you | Todah |
| 7 | בבקשה | Please | Bevakasha |
| 8 | סליחה | Excuse me | Slikha |
| 9 | ?מה נשמע | How are you? | Ma nishma? |
| 10 | טוב, תודה | Good, thank you | Tov, toda! |
Questions
| # | Hebrew term | English translation | Romanized pronunciation |
| 11 | ?מתי | Why? | Lama? |
| 12 | ?איזה | Which? | Eize? |
| 13 | ?מה | What? | Ma? |
| 14 | ?איפה | How? | Eikh? |
| 15 | ?איפה | Where? | Eifo? |
| 16 | ?מי | Who? | Mi? |
| 17 | ?מתי | When? | Matai? |
| 18 | ?כמה זה | How much is this? | Kama ze? |
| 19 | ?איפה השירותים | Where is the toilet? | Eifo haSherutim? |
| 20 | …אפשר בבקשה | Can I have…? | Efshar, bevakasha…? |
Numbers
| # | Hebrew term | English translation | Romanized pronunciation |
| 21 | אחת | One | Akhat |
| 22 | שתיים | Two | Shtayim |
| 23 | שלוש | Three | Shalosh |
| 24 | ארבע | Four | Arba |
| 25 | חמש | Five | Khamesh |
| 26 | שש | Six | Shesh |
| 27 | שבע | Seven | Sheva |
| 28 | שמונה | Eight | Shmone |
| 29 | תשע | Nine | Tesha |
| 30 | עשר | Ten | Eser |
Days & temporal words
| # | Hebrew term | English translation | Romanized pronunciation |
| 31 | יום שני | Monday | Yom sheni |
| 32 | יום שלישי | Tuesday | Yom shlishi |
| 33 | יום רביעי | Wednesday | Yom revii |
| 34 | יום חמישי | Thursday | Yom khamishi |
| 35 | יום שישי | Friday | Yom shishi |
| 36 | שבת | Saturday | Shabat |
| 37 | יום ראשון | Sunday | Yom rishon |
| 38 | היום | Today | Ha-yom |
| 39 | מחר | Tomorrow | Makhar |
| 40 | אתמול | Yesterday | Etmol |
Moving around
| # | Hebrew term | English translation | Romanized pronunciation |
| 41 | כניסה | Entrance | Knisa |
| 42 | יציאה | Exit | Yetzia |
| 43 | (שמאל(ה | Left | Smol(a) |
| 44 | (ימינ(ה | Right | Yamin(a) |
| 45 | תחנת אוטובוס | Bus stop | Takhanat otobus |
| 46 | תחנת רכבת | Train station | Takhanat rakevet |
| 47 | שדה תעופה | Airport | S’de teufa |
| 48 | ישר | Straight ahead | Yashar |
| 49 | שמאלה | Turn left | Smola |
| 50 | ימינה | Turn right | Yamina |
Food & drink
| # | Hebrew term | English translation | Romanized pronunciation |
| 51 | !היה ממש טעים | The meal was excellent! | Haya mamash taim! |
| 52 | ?מה אתה ממליץ לי | What do you recommend? | Ma ata mamlitz li? (addressing a man)
Ma at mamlitza li? (addressing a woman) |
| 53 | ?אשפר חשבון, בבקשה | Can we have the bill, please? | Efshar kheshbon, bevakasha? |
| 54 | אני צמחוני | I’m a vegetarian | Ani tzimkhoni (when you’re a man)
Ani tzimkhonit (when you’re a woman) |
| 55 | -יש לי אלרגיה ל | I’m allergic to… | Yesh li alergiya le-… |
| 56 | מים, בבקשה | Some water, please | Mayim, bevakasha |
| 57 | תפריט, בבקשה | The menu, please | Tafrit, bevakasha |
| 58 | ארוחת בוקר | Breakfast | Arukhat boker |
| 59 | ארוחת צהריים | Lunch | Arukhat tsohorayim |
| 60 | ארוחת ערב | Dinner | Arukhat erev |
Emergencies
| # | Hebrew term | English translation | Romanized pronunciation |
| 61 | !תתקשרו למשטרה | Call the Police! | Titkashru le-mishtara! |
| 62 | !הצילו | Help! | Hatzilu! |
| 63 | !שריפה | There’s a fire! | Srefa! |
That’s it for today. We hope you enjoyed this article on common Hebrew words – להתראות!
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