29/01/2017 20HebrewSlangExpressionsYouNeedtoKnow

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20 Hebrew Slang Expressions TU

RN
ER
You Need to Know
POSTED BY MOLLY WINIK ON MARCH 9, 2015 IN CULTURE FEATURED, ISRAEL, Fi
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Traveling or moving to a foreign country is scary in and of YE
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going to the grocery store, ordering food in a restaurant, or Write for Pink Pangea
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hailing a cab become a lot more stressful. After living in Re
Israel for six months, I have picked up some common vie
w of Anjali SUBMIT
expressions that are used daily, and that allow me to get by Sareens
in the city. I know how to ask for the price of apples, tell the Quit Your
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waiter I want my sandwich without tomatoes, or give a cab
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driver directions. Knowing some conversational Hebrew JA
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makes day-to-day tasks a little less daunting. AR
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However,I realized that I lacked a major component of 201
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everyday speech. I can ask an Israeli on the street where the AL
bus to Rabin Square is or what time it is, but I dont LIS
ON
understand Hebrew slang. I know a few words that almost YA
TE
everyone who has been on Birthright knows, but I dont S

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29/01/2017 20HebrewSlangExpressionsYouNeedtoKnow

know common expressions. The cool thing about Hebrew Ro

ma
slang is that some expressions commonly used today date nc
back to the revitalization of the language and are a mixture e, Health and
Safety in the
of Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, and English. Understanding
Czech
slang has now become crucial to speaking any language. Republic:
Kelleys Tips
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Y
24,
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KE
LL
EY
GA
RL
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Saf
ety
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Romance and
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Molly in Israel Dawns Tips
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Here are20 essential Hebrew slang expressions youll need AR
Y
to get by in Israel: 23,
201
7/

The Hebrew slangyou learned on DA

W

Birthright:
N
MU
SIL

1. Sababa Th

One of my personal favorites. It means great, cool, alright, ings You

Should Know
or any other variation. It can be used to show enthusiasm About Living
or happiness about a situation. in Mexico
JA
NU
Ex.We are leaving for the concert at 9:00 pm. AR
Y
20,
Sababa! 201
7/
MA
2. Balagan RY
GA
RT
SID
Simply a mess, when there is no order and seemingly E

endless chaos. It can refer to a traf c jam on the highway, a

A
long line at the supermarket, or a busy classroom. We
ek
Ex. Israeli classrooms are a balagan when the students are end in New

Orleans
running around and not listening. ,,
JA
NU .
AR
3. Yalla Y
20,
!
campusstudies.co.il
201
7/
Lets go or come on! Derives from Arabic. It is used in GW
YN
daily language to express ones desire to get people moving. GO
OD
RO
Ex. Yalla! Get dressed or well be late for the movie. W

4. Arsim
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4. Arsim Fi
nd
ing
If there was an Israeli version of the Jersey Shore, then the a Forever
Amiga in
Snookis and Vinnys on that show would be called arsim. Madrid
Well, technically the Snookis would befrechot (the female JA
NU
version). Many people believe thisterm isdiscriminatory. AR
Y
No example so as not to offend anyone. 19,
201
7/

5. Achi JE
N
LU
CA
S
My bro, my dude, my brother. The female equivalent is
achoti, which means my girl or my sister. W
ha
Ex. Im going to the mall withachi. ts
it Like to Be a
Peace Corps
6. Yesh! Volunteer in
Moldova?
JA
Yes! Woohoo! Pretty self explanatory. NU
AR
Y
Ex. Yesh! I just won a million shekels! 18,
201
7/

7. Ma nishma? LIN
DS
EY
RE
PS
Literally means what will we hear? but when used as HA
S
slang it means, whats up? Anytime you here ma nishma
in Israel it means, whats up? Ive never heard it used as
5
its literal meaning. Th

Ex. Ma nishma? ings You

Must Do in
Asuncion,
Everythings good. Paraguay
JA
NU
8. Achla / Magniv AR
Y
17,
201
Both mean cool. Achla is more common and, in my opinion, 7/
KE
cooler than saying magniv, no pun intended. Ive been told LL
EY
magniv is kind of out of date. MA
TN
EY
Ex. Look at this leather motorcycle coat I bought.

A
Magniv,
Fri
en
or dship Found
in Spain
I reserved us a table at the club for Thursday. JA
NU
AR
Achla! Y
16,
201

The double-meaning Hebrew slang: 7/

RA
CH
EL

9. Al ha-panim PE
TT
Y

Literal: On the face Saf

ety
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29/01/2017 20HebrewSlangExpressionsYouNeedtoKnow

Slang: Really bad Ti

ps
for
Ex. That soup was way too salty, it was al ha-panim. South Africa
You Cant

10. Eize seret Ignore

JA
NU
AR
Literal: Which movie Y
13,
201
Slang: When you want to express something crazy that 7/
DA
happened to you; you wont believe this story or you wont NI
BA
believe what happened to me today. ILE
Y

11. Haval al hazman Joi

n
Me
Literal: Waste of time for Spanish
Tapas
Slang: Means something good, or the best thing ever. JA
NU
Usually adds emphasis to a sentence. AR
Y
12,
Ex. We raised so much money for our charity, haval al 201
7/
hazman! LEI
GH
SC
12. Pizootz HR
OM

Literal: Explosion Da
ytr
ip
Slang: Awesome, cool ping to
Sedona

13. Esh Arizona

JA
NU
AR
Literal: Fire Y
11,
201
Slang: Awesome 7/
YI
NO

14. Sof haderech

NG
WA
NG

Literal: End of the road Fr

om
Slang: Really good, super All
Inclusive to
All Creative
15. Tzfoni JA
NU
AR
Y
Literal: North or northern 10,
201
7/
Slang: A snobby, rich person RE
AL
DE

16. Chetzi co-ach

AL

An
Ins
Literal: Half strength, half power
pir
ing Woman:
Slang: Not that good Micaela
Almonester
Ex. That movie was chetzi co-ach. de Pontalba

17. Shechuna
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17. Shechuna in New

Orleans
JA
NU
Literal: Neighborhood AR
Y
10,
Slang: Unorganized 201
7/
GW
18. Mi is-mah? YN
GO
OD
RO
Literal: Who will hear? W

Slang: Not a big deal Th

e
Ed
Slightly Different than American ge of My
Comfort
Slang Expressions Zone:
Studying
Abroad in
19. Lo ha-eparon ha-chi chad be- Guadalajara,
Mexico
kalmar JA
NU
AR
Y
This expression literally means not the sharpest pencil in 9,
the pencil case. When used as slang it means that 201
7/
someone is not the smartest or has done something stupid. MA
RY
It can obviously be compared to the common English GA
RT
phrase, Not the sharpest tool in the shed. SID
E

20. Ma ani, ez? 9

Le

Means What am I, a goat? Usually used to express ssons from a

frustration or anger in certain social settings in order to Whirlwind
Trip to India
protest unfair treatment, such as being ignored or treated JA
NU
like a loser. It can be compared to the expression used by
AR
many American Jews, What am I, chopped liver? Y
6,
201
Using these expressions on the streets in Israel helps me 7/
GE
feel less like a tourist and more like a member of the NE
VIE
community. Its fun to walk down the street, hear these VE
NO
words, and understand them. Trust me, knowing some of RT
these slang words will de nitely make you feel achla. HU
P

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an
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SIN
GH

48
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Indonesia
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GET BY, HEBREW, HEBREW SLANG, ISRAEL, ISRAELI SLANG, LANGUAGE,
MOLLY WINIK, SLANG, SLANG EXPRESSIONS

About the Author

Molly Winik
A recent college graduate who chose to live and
teach English abroad in Israel for a year instead
of getting a 9-5 job. Born in New York, but raised
in New Jersey. I have a large blended family that
left me one of six kids. And I have an unhealthy
obsession with my English bulldog Bubba. I love to write and cant
wait to share my experiences and challenges abroad with other
women travelers! Follow my travels here.

Pink Pangea Retreats

Writing Writing Writing & Writing &

Retreat in Tel Retreat in Hiking Touring
Aviv-Jaffa, Venice, Italy // Retreat in the Retreat in
Israel June 11-15, Swiss Alps // Barcelona //
2017 June 19-26, November 23-
2017 27, 2016

17 Responses

Ryan March 23, 2015 at 9:21 pm | Permalink

Hey HR, Im not an etymologist, but Hebrew most likely

has been borrowing from Arabic since before medieval
times. Hebrew and Arabic also share a common ancestor
(Aramaic), which I believe resembles the High Arabic
much more than established modern Hebrew, so the lines
can get fuzzy, but its totally possible for balagan to be
from Arabic even if you grandparents know it in Yiddish.

Reply

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HR March 15, 2015 at 11:20 am | Permalink

#11: Has to learn the contraction: chavlaz

No, balagan is not from Arabic. My Polish-Russian

parents used balagan in Yiddish.

Reply

Ryan March 15, 2015 at 11:11 am | Permalink

oops, meant salamtak is en vogue achshav, seems like

this page wont recognize Hebrew characters.

Reply

Ryan March 15, 2015 at 11:09 am | Permalink

Salamtak is a more street way of saying sababa, and

can be used in pretty much the same context. Ma nishma?
Salamtak. If you want to make a young Israeli laugh, use
this phrase. It comes from Arabic (like a lot of the words
on this list), but in Arabic it means something like
health to you, and you would only say this to a person
who is sick.

Balagan, yala, sababa, and many others are all also from
Arabic although Im not sure most Jews in Israel are
actually cognizant of this.

A warning usage when I lived in Israel I discovered that

some of the phrases they teach you on birthright are
laughably outdated (as in people havent used them in
decades sometime), and will immediately identify you as
a Taglit participant. However, salamtak is en vogue ?????

Reply

adan March 10, 2015 at 6:11 pm | Permalink

number 5 also literally means my brother (or sister

depending on gender).
So the example is kind of confusing

Reply

asaf March 10, 2015 at 7:04 am | Permalink

lol ma ani ez is for sure the best one

Reply

dud March 10, 2015 at 3:13 am | Permalink

Achi is not dude

dude is ish or ben-adam
Ma nish-ma ish/ben-adam=
Whats up dude/man

And going to the mall with Achi will be sibling, not bro
It should be
Going to the mall with ach shealow speaking about your
self in a 3rd party

Reply

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Raphael March 10, 2015 at 2:06 am | Permalink

Yesh! Thanks a lot for this article. Moving to Tel Aviv area
in a few months, this will be very helpful

Reply

shaham March 9, 2015 at 2:51 pm | Permalink

What about ben zona

When used to talk discribe an object or an event it means
that it is somthing realy good

Literally it means son of a slot

Reply

Dominika March 9, 2015 at 1:47 pm | Permalink

Im bit surprised with such explanation of origin of

balagan. I would rather say that its a direct borrowing
from Polish. In Polish ba?agan literally means mess.

Reply

avner March 9, 2015 at 12:59 pm | Permalink

shalomwere do you take the picture of the graf ti?

and also
-Besederit works for everything :ok, cool, good,
ne

Reply

Molly March 9, 2015 at 5:29 pm | Permalink

I took the photo in Neve Tzedek near the old train

station!

Reply

me March 9, 2015 at 11:24 am | Permalink

Balagan can also mean Party, I think I only heard it in a

lets party meaning or Yalla Balagan.

Reply

Amir March 9, 2015 at 11:58 am | Permalink

Yalla balagan! Would translate to something on

the line of Lets make a mess, like a call to go
wild and make a big mess, but yes it is mostly said
in the context of Lets party!.

Reply

Gadi Ben-Avi March 9, 2015 at 9:00 am | Permalink

Balagan comes from Persian and means Balcony.

Apparently, balconies were always messy (used for
storage) in Persia. Ive seen some pretty messy ones here
two.
http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%91%D7%9C%D7%92%
D7%9F
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Reply

Michael March 9, 2015 at 8:21 am | Permalink

Sababa!

Reply

Yoshiahu Tal-Or March 9, 2015 at 7:15 am | Permalink

A couple of xes on the terms:

Ma nishma? actually translates as whats heard?. Its

in the nifal form of the word, which would be spelled
the same as the rst-person plural we will hear.
Translated half-colloquially and half-literally, could be
akin to heard anything new?.

Eize seret you can attach eize (literally: which or

what a) to almost any noun. Used colloquially in
exclamation as in: what a day! or what a party!.

Mi is-mah? should be transliterated as Mi yishma?.

A couple more phrases you could attach are:

Chai bseret literally lives in a movie, the subject of

this term is ostensibly delusional or dreaming.

Ah-lahn Arabic for whats up?.

Mitoraf literally crazy, used as such. Can be used

positively or negatively (more often positively): that
party was CRAZY! or that plan is nuts!.

Reply

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