יָפֶה
yafémasculine
The English word "beautiful" is translated into Hebrew as יָפֶה (yafé). Wiktionary also lists יָפָה (yafá).
Meaning: attractive (adj)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| יָפֶה | yafé | masculine |
| יָפָה | yafá | feminine |
The word is used to describe someone as handsome or beautiful, as well as to describe inanimate objects as beautiful. In informal contexts, you might hear the phrase יפה מפחיד to mean "scarily beautiful," or the term מקסימ/ה to express that something is charming or enchanting.
Which one should you use?
The form יָפֶה is used for masculine subjects, while יָפָה is used for feminine subjects.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the masculine singular form יָפֶה (yafé) for masculine nouns and the feminine singular form יָפָה (yafá) for feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
yafé
Did you know?
- In Israeli slang, calling something יָפֶה can be used as an exclamation of approval or 'nice one' when someone does something clever, rather than just describing physical beauty.
- Hebrew has a specific word חמד (chemed) for a kind of 'cute' beauty, which shares a root with the word for 'desire' or 'longing'.
- The word יפה is used in the common expression יפה שאתה כאן, which literally means 'it is beautiful that you are here' but translates to 'it is nice of you to come'.
Examples in context
- אתה/את יפה מאודYou are very beautiful.
- הפרחים יפיםThe flowers are beautiful.
- התמונה שלך יפה מפחידYour picture is scarily beautiful.
- הילד הזה ממש יָפֶה.Ha'yeled haze mamash yafe.This boy is really handsome.
- הוא גבר יָפֶה ונעים.Hu gever yafe vene'im.He is a handsome and pleasant man.
Example conversation
Daniel and Noa are looking at a painting in a gallery.
- דניאל Danielנועה, תראי את הציור הזה.Noa, tir'i et ha-tziyur ha-ze.Noa, look at this painting.
- נועה Noaהוא באמת מאוד יָפֶה.Hu be'emet me'od yafe.It really is very beautiful.
- דניאל Danielאני חושב שהוא מדהים.Ani choshev she-hu madhim.I think it is amazing.
- נועה Noaאני מסכימה איתך, דניאל.Ani maskima itcha, Daniel.I agree with you, Daniel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beautiful” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
