חזיר
khazír/χaˈziʁ/
The English word 'ham' is translated into Hebrew as חזיר (khazír).
חזיר refers to the thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat.
Meaning: thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is khazír.
What mistakes should you avoid?
While חזיר is used for 'ham', note that the word for 'pig' is the same as the word for 'ham'.
Did you know?
- The word חזיר is cognate with the Arabic word خِنْزِير and the Maltese word ħanżir.
- While English distinguishes between the animal and the meat, using חזיר to describe a person can be a very strong, derogatory slang term for someone considered 'dirty' or 'unpleasant'.
- The word חזיר sounds very similar to the Hebrew verb חזר, meaning 'to return' or 'to repeat', which can lead to puns in Hebrew literature.
Examples in context
- הוא אוהב פרוסות ירך חזיר וביצים.He likes ham and eggs.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use חזיר in a sentence.Tatoeba #1862944 by fekundulo, translation #292421 by CK
Example conversation
Two people are deciding what to order at a deli.
- עגור Adiאני רוצה להזמין כריך עם חזיר.ani rotze le-hazmin krich im khazir.I want to order a ham sandwich.
- עידו Idoגם אני, עידו אוהב חזיר.gam ani, Ido ohev khazir.Me too, Ido loves ham.
- עגור Adiאתה רוצה חמאה על הלחם?ata rotze khama al ha-lekhem?Do you want butter on the bread?
- עידו Idoכן, בבקשה.ken, be-vakasha.Yes, please.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry חזיר, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries חזיר, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
