זרוע
zró‘a/ziroːʕ/feminine
The Hebrew word for arm is זרוע (zró‘a).
זרוע refers specifically to the upper appendage from the shoulder to the wrist.
Meaning: upper appendage from shoulder to wrist (noun)
Which one should you use?
While זרוע specifically refers to the upper appendage, the word יד is more commonly used in everyday Hebrew to refer to the entire limb, including the hand.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of זרוע is זרועות. To say 'his arm', you add the possessive suffix –ו to the word, resulting in זרועו.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is zró‘a.
Did you know?
- Historically, the זרוע was used as a standard unit of measurement in ancient Israel, similar to a 'cubit' based on the length of the forearm.
- In Biblical Hebrew, the term זרוע is often used in poetic descriptions to represent strength or power, rather than just a physical body part.
- The word זרוע is also used in Hebrew to describe the 'arm' of a chair or a mechanical lever, rather than just a human limb.
Examples in context
- תום לפת את זרועי.Tom grabbed my arm.This sentence is useful for showing the word זרוע used with a first-person possessive.Tatoeba #4641599 by fekundulo, translation #3123186 by CK
- הוא שבר את זרועו.He broke his arm.This sentence is useful for showing the word זרוע used with a third-person masculine possessive.Tatoeba #5453830 by fekundulo, translation #3258236 by CM
- האיש לקח את זרועי.The man took my arm.Tatoeba #2002866 by MrShoval, translation #45304 by CK
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “arm” translations and entries זרוע, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
