ג׳וּק
jukmasculine
The Hebrew word for cockroach is either ג׳וּק (juk) or תִּיקָן.
Meaning: type of insect (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ג׳וּק | juk | masculine |
| תִּיקָן | tikan | masculine |
Both terms refer to the type of insect known as a cockroach.
Which one should you use?
ג׳וּק is a colloquial term, while תִּיקָן is the standard Hebrew term.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of the colloquial ג׳וּק is ג׳וּקִים, and the plural of the standard תִּיקָן is תִּיקָנִים. Both forms are masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
juk
Did you know?
- In Hebrew, the word תִּיקָן shares a linguistic root with words meaning 'correction' or 'arrangement', creating a strange contrast between the insect and the idea of order.
- The colloquial term ג׳וּק is likely borrowed from the German 'Käfer' or the Yiddish 'zhuk' meaning 'beetle', showing how European insect names influenced modern Hebrew.
- The word ג׳וּק uses the letter ג׳, which is not part of the original Hebrew alphabet but was added to represent the 'j' sound in foreign words.
Examples in context
- ראיתי ג׳וּק במטבח.ra'iti juk ba'mitbach.I saw a cockroach in the kitchen.
- יש ג׳וּק על השולחן!yesh juk al ha'shulchan!There is a cockroach on the table!
Example conversation
Noa and Daniel are in the kitchen at night.
- נועה Noaדניאל, ראיתי ג׳וּק ליד הכיור!Daniel, ra'iti juk leyad ha'kiyor!Daniel, I saw a cockroach near the sink!
- דניאל Danielמה? איפה הוא?Ma? Eifo hu?What? Where is it?
- נועה Noaהוא רץ מתחת למקרר.Hu ratz matahat la'mikarer.It ran under the refrigerator.
- דניאל Danielאל תפחדי, אני אשיג אותו.Al tifchadi, ani ashig oto.Don't be afraid, I'll get it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cockroach” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
