Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| תוהו ובוהו | tóhu vavóhu |
| כאוס | kéos |
The term describes a state of disorder. You can use either the idiomatic expression תוהו ובוהו or the loanword כאוס depending on the context.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase תוהו ובוהו is a reduplication of two similar-sounding words that literally translate to 'emptiness and void' or 'formlessness and emptiness'.
Which one should you use?
תוהו ובוהו is an idiomatic, more literary or descriptive way to express chaos. In contrast, כאוס is a direct loanword from English and Greek used for more abstract or scientific concepts of chaos.
How does it change in a sentence?
The loanword כאוס is a masculine noun and follows standard Hebrew noun patterns for foreign words.
How do you pronounce it?
tóhu vavóhu
When do people say it?
The phrase תוהו ובוהו originates from the biblical description of the state of the world before creation in Genesis.
Did you know?
- While תוהו ובוהו appears in the Bible, it is rarely used in modern daily speech to describe a messy room. In such casual settings, Israelis are more likely to use the word בלגן, which originally comes from the Yiddish word for 'mess'.
- In modern Hebrew, the phrase תוהו ובוהו is often used as a metaphor for bureaucratic failure or a confusing organizational disaster. It describes a system that exists but functions without any logical order.
- The word כאוס is derived from the Ancient Greek word χάος, which originally meant a 'gaping void' or 'chasm'.
Examples in context
- זה היה תוהו ובוהו טהור.It was pure chaos.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe a situation as pure chaos using תוהו ובוהו.Tatoeba #5517742 by fekundulo, translation #5370760 by Hybrid
- היה שם רק תוהו ובוהו בחדר.haya sham rak tohu va-vohu ba-kha-dar.There was only chaos in the room.
- הסדר חזר אחרי תקופה של תוהו ובוהו.ha-seder kha-zar a-kha-rei te-ku-fa shel tohu va-vohu.Order returned after a period of chaos.
Example conversation
Maya and Itay are talking about their messy office.
- מאיה Mayaאיתי, למה המשרד הוא תוהו ובוהו?Itay, lama ha-misrad hu tohu vavohu?Itay, why is the office a state of chaos?
- איתי Itayחיפשתי את המסמכים של הפרויקט.chipasti et ha-mismakim shel ha-proyekt.I was looking for the project documents.
- מאיה Mayaאתה חייב לסדר את זה עכשיו.ata chayav lesader et ze achshav.You must tidy this up now.
- איתי Itayצודקת, אני כבר מתחיל לסדר.tsodeket, ani kvar matchil lesader.You're right, I'm starting to tidy up already.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chaos” translations and entries תוהו ובוהו, כאוס, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries כאוס, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
