תִּינוֹק
tinókmasculine
The Hebrew word for baby is תִּינוֹק (tinók). Wiktionary also lists תִּינֹקֶת (tinóket).
Meaning: very young human being (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| תִּינוֹק | tinók | masculine |
| תִּינֹקֶת | tinóket | feminine |
The term refers to a very young human being.
Which one should you use?
תִּינוֹק is the masculine form, while תִּינֹקֶת is the feminine form. The plural form for babies is תִּינוֹקִים.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form תִּינוֹק is used when the baby is male or when referring to a baby of unknown gender. The feminine form תִּינֹקֶת is used specifically when the baby is female.
How do you pronounce it?
tinók
Did you know?
- In professional or social settings, calling someone a תִּינוֹק (tinok) is a way to insult their lack of experience, essentially calling them a 'newbie' or a 'greenhorn'.
- The root of the word תינוק is related to the concept of being 'new' or 'freshly made', which is a common way many Hebrew nouns describing biological stages are constructed.
- Hebrew uses a specific diminutive suffix to turn תִּינוֹק into תינוקון, which transforms the word from a neutral description of a baby into an expression of extreme cuteness.
Examples in context
- הַתִּינוֹק יָשֵׁן עַכְשָׁו בַּעֲגָלָה.ha-tinok yashen achshav ba-agala.The baby is sleeping in the stroller now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “baby” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
