שרקן
sharkān
The Hebrew word for guinea pig is שרקן (sharkān).
The term שרקן is used to refer to a guinea pig as an experimental subject.
Meaning: experimental subject (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
sharkān
Did you know?
- The word שרקן is derived from the root שרק, which relates to the high-pitched whistling sounds these animals make.
- While English speakers use 'guinea pig' as a metaphor for any test subject, an Israeli would rarely use שרקן to describe a person, preferring נשוא למבחן (subject to a test) instead.
- The letter ן at the end of שרקן is a 'Nun Sofit', a specialized version of the letter 'Nun' that only exists to signal the end of a word.
