שיין
sheyn/ʃɛɪ̯n/
The Yiddish word for beautiful is שיין (sheyn).
שיין is used to describe something attractive. While it means beautiful, it is also the standard word for fine or nice in many contexts.
Meaning: attractive (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes depending on the noun it describes. The base form שיין changes to שיינער when used before a masculine noun. It changes to שיינע when used before a feminine noun or a plural noun. When used in the dative case for masculine or neuter nouns, it takes the ending שיינעם.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ʃɛɪ̯n/ (sheyn).
Did you know?
- In Yiddish, שיין can be used as a sarcastic response to a mistake or a mess. Saying שיין! in a specific tone is similar to saying 'Great job!' in English when something has gone wrong.
- The word שיין is used in Yiddish to describe something that is 'well-behaved' or 'proper', such as a child acting in a שיין manner.
- The Yiddish word שיין is a cognate of the English word 'sheen'. While 'sheen' now describes a soft luster, both words share an ancient root relating to brightness and beauty.
Examples in context
- ווי שיין זי איז!How beautiful she is!This sentence shows how to express an exclamation of beauty using שיין.Tatoeba #4325454 by negativeclock, translation #311886 by mamat
- שטערן זענען שיין.Stars are beautiful.This sentence uses שיין to describe stars.Tatoeba #3123776 by negativeclock, translation #3123774 by Hybrid
- די ערד איז שיין.The earth is beautiful.This sentence uses שיין to describe the earth.Tatoeba #8910134 by shekitten, translation #8910130 by shekitten
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Avraham are looking at a garden.
- חנה Chanaקוק, אברהם, די בלומען זענען זייער שיין!Kuk, Avraham, di blumen zenen zeyer sheyn!Look, Avraham, the flowers are very beautiful!
- אברהם Avrahamיא, דו האסט רעכט. זיי זענען פשוט שיין.Ya, du hast rekht. Zey zenen fapst sheyn.Yes, you are right. They are simply beautiful.
- חנה Chanaער פֿאָרשפּריקט אַ שיין קלער.Er forshprikht a sheyn kler.It promises a beautiful color.
- אברהם Avrahamדאָס איז אמת, חנה.Dos iz emes, Chana.That is true, Hannah.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beautiful” translations and entries שיין, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries שיין, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
