בקר
baqár/baːˈqaːr/
The English word 'beef' is translated into Hebrew as בקר (baqár).
While בקר can be used to mean beef, it is more common and precise to use the phrase בשר בקר when you want to specify the type of meat. When ordering in a restaurant, using the full phrase בשר בקר ensures you are ordering beef rather than other types of meat like poultry or lamb.
Meaning: meat (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word בקר literally means 'cattle' or 'bovine'.
Which one should you use?
In Hebrew, בקר refers to the animal (cattle), whereas בשר refers to the meat itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase בשר בקר (literally 'meat of cattle') is the standard way to specify the meat specifically.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is baqár.
Did you know?
- In Israel, meat is often categorized by its 'kosher' status, which forbids mixing בשר בקר with any dairy products.
- While בקר refers to cattle, the word בשר for 'meat' is also used in Hebrew to refer to human 'flesh'.
- The Hebrew word בקר is a cognate with the Arabic word بَقَر for 'cattle'.
Examples in context
- גם אני רוצה בקר.I want beef, too.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire for בקר.Tatoeba #6119913 by fekundulo, translation #73525 by CK
- אני רוצה בשר בקר.I want beef.Tatoeba #13188528 by fekundulo, translation #11884578 by CK
- בשר בקר יפני נמכר אתמול.Japanese beef was on sale yesterday.This sentence is useful for showing how בקר is used in a sentence about a sale.Tatoeba #1918514 by fekundulo, translation #63302 by CK
- אני מחפש בשר בקר, תודהI'm looking for beef, thank you.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maya and Daniel are deciding what to order at a restaurant.
- מאיה Mayaאתה רוצה להזמין בקר?ata rotze lehazmin bkar?Do you want to order beef?
- דניאל Danielכן, אני מאוד אוהב בקר.ken, ani meod ohev bkar.Yes, I like beef very much.
- מאיה Mayaאני מעדיפה עוף היום.ani ma'adifa of hayom.I prefer chicken today.
- דניאל Danielבסדר, נבחר מנה של בקר לחלוקה.beseder, nivchar mana shel bkar lehaluka.Okay, let's choose a beef dish to share.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry בקר, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries בקר, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
