Understanding traditional Jewish prayers may seem impossible if you don’t speak Hebrew. But knowing some key words can help you follow along and get the basic meaning of much of the liturgy.
The 50 words below are some of the most common words found in Jewish prayers. We’ve included the Hebrew, English and a transliteration of each word.
Try learning a few each week or spotting them in a siddur (Jewish prayer book). In no time, you’ll find the prayers to be more familiar and hopefully more meaningful.
If you want to learn more Hebrew and don’t know the best way to get started, be sure to read How to Learn Hebrew.
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And if you’re considering purchasing your own siddur, we recommend you check out How to Choose a Siddur, or Jewish Prayer Book.
TRANSLITERATION |
ENGLISH |
HEBREW |
| Avoteinu | Our Fathers | אֲבוֹתֵינוּ |
| Adam | Man | אָדָם |
| Ahava | Love | אַהֲבָה |
| Or | Light | אוֹר |
| Ehad | One | אֶחָד |
| Ein | There is Not | אֵין |
| Imru | Let Us Say | אִמְרוּ |
| Emet | Truth | אֱמֶת |
| Eretz | Land/Country | אֶרֶץ |
| Asher | That/Which/Who | אֲשֶׁר |
| Atah | You | אַתָה |
| Beit | House | בֵּית |
| Ben | Son | בֶּן |
| B’nai | Children/People | בְּנֵי |
| Barukh | Blessed | בָּרוּך |
| Gadol | Big/Great | גָדוֹל |
| Dor | Generation | דוֹר |
| Hu | He | הוּא |
| Vaed | Forever | וָעֶד |
| Z’man | Time | זְמַן |
| Hayim | Life | חַיִים |
| Hesed | Kindness | חֶסֶד |
| Tov | Good | טוֹב |
| Y’hee | May It Be | יְהִי |
| Yom | Day | יוֹם |
| Kavod | Honor/Respect | כָּבוֹד |
| Kee | Because/Since | כִּי |
| Kamokha | Like You | כָּמוֹךָ |
| Kein | Yes | כֵּן |
| Katuv | Written | כָּתוּב |
| Lo | No | לֹא |
| L’maan | For the Sake of | לְמַעַן |
| L’fanekha | Before You | לְפָנֶיךָ |
| Magen | Shield | מָגֵן |
| Mah | What | מַה |
| M’hayeh | Gives Life | מְחַיֵה |
| Mee | Who | מִי |
| Mayim | Water | מַיִם |
| Melekh | King | מֶלֶךְ |
| Norah | Awesome | נוֹרָא |
| Olam | World/Eternity | עוֹלָם |
| Am | People | עַם |
| Oseh | Make | עוֹשֶׂה |
| Kadosh | Holy | קָדוֹשׁ |
| Kol | Voice | קוֹל |
| Rahamim | Mercy | רַחֲמִים |
| Ratzon | Will | רָצוֹן |
| Shemo | His Name | שְׁמוֹ |
| Shamayim | Heavens | שָׁמַים |
| Tamid | Always | תָמִיד |
