Learning Hebrew Greeting is a great way to start your Hebrew Journey! In this article we will learn some of the more common greetings there are in the Hebrew language.
Hello – Shalom – ืฉืืื
Shalom – Hello
It means both hello and peace, this is a greeting you can use with anyone in Israel, both friends and strangers.
Boker Tov – Good Morning – ืืืงืจ ืืื
This one means good morning and is a very polite greeting, used in formal situations but can also be used among friends (but then you’ll be seen as very polite!).
Boker – Morning
Tov – Good
Boker Or – Good Morning – ืืืงืจ ืืืจ
Boker – Morning
Or – Light
Boker or is the “reply good morning” we say we answer to boker tov. It means morning of light.
Yom Tov – Good Day
Yom – day
Tov – good
Yom Tov means good day, this greeting is usually used throughout the day. Funnily enough it can also be used as a way to say good bye (as in, have a good day!)
Tzohoraim Tovim – Good Noon
Tzohoraim – noon
Tovim – good (plural)
This one means good noon, used throughout the noon time. Rarely used among friends and family, mostly used in a more formal environment. You will hear this one in the news in Israel quite often.
Ahar Tzohoraim Tovim – Good Afternoon
Ahar – After
Tzohoraim – Noon
Tovim – Good plural
Ahar Tzohoraim Tovim means good afternoon. This greeting is somewhat rare nowadays in daily speech. But it’s still worth knowing. It has the same formality level as good afternoon in Hebrew.
Erev Tov – Good evening
Erev means evening and tov means good.
This is used among both friends and in formal situations. Very commonly used.
‘How are you?’ as a greeting
In Hebrew many times in informal speech, people will skip actually hello/good day/good evening part, and jump to something like how are you. The English equivalent of this is someone saying ‘sup’.
The most common one of those is “ma koreh?”.
Ma koreh – ืื ืงืืจื => this literally means “what’s happening”. This is the most common informal way of all ages to ask how are you.
Ahalan – Hello (borrowed from Arabic)
You can also use the word ahalan ืืืื. This one is borrowed from the Arabic language.
Summery of the Vocabulary With Nikud
Here is a summary of the vocabulary that we have learned today. I am adding the dictionary version of the words with the nikud. (you can read more about ‘full nikud’ vs regular nikud’)
| Hello / Peace | ืฉึธืืืึนื | Shalom |
| Good Morning | ืึนึผืงึถืจ ืืึนื | Boker Tov |
| Morning | ืึนึผืงึถืจ | Boker |
| Good | ืืึนื | Tov |
| Good Morning (reply) | ืึนึผืงึถืจ ืืึนืจ | Boker Or |
| Light | ืืึนืจ | Or |
| Good Day | ืืึนื ืืึนื | Yom Tov |
| Day | ืืึนื | Yom |
| Good Noon | ืฆึธืึณืจึทืึดื ืืึนืึดืื | Tzohoraim Tovim |
| Noon | ืฆึธืึณืจึทืึดื | Tzohoraim |
| Good (plural) | ืืึนืึดืื | Tovim |
| Good Afternoon | ืึทืึทืจ ืฆึธืึณืจึทืึดื ืืึนืึดืื | Ahar Tzohoraim Tovim |
| After | ืึทืึทืจ | Ahar |
| Good Evening | ืขึถืจึถื ืืึนื | Erev Tov |
| Evening | ืขึถืจึถื | Erev |
| Whatโs happening? / How are you? (informal) | ืึทื ืงืึนืจึถื? | Ma koreh? |
| Hello (borrowed from Arabic) | ืึทืึฐืึธื | Ahalan |
Well Done!
You’ve completed your first Hebrew Lesson. From here you can:
- – Continue to Lesson 2 – Learn How To Introduce Yourself
- – Train your Hebrew in the Games section of the website