שנה טובה
shanah tovah
Happy Jewish New Year in Hebrew is שנה טובה (shanah tovah).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase שנה טובה literally translates to good year.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word טובה (tovah) is the feminine form of "good" used to agree with the feminine noun שנה (shanah).
How do you pronounce it?
shanah tovah
Did you know?
- The full traditional greeting implies that your name is being written in the 'Book of Life' for the coming year.
- While שנה טובה is the most common greeting, it is often accompanied by the eating of apples dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet year.
- The word שנה shares the same ancient root as the Arabic word سَنَة (sana), meaning 'year'.
Examples in context
- שנה טובה!Shana tovah!Happy New Year!
- אני רוצה לאחל לך שנה טובה.Ani rotze le'achel lecha shana tovah.I want to wish you a happy New Year.
Example conversation
Noa and Daniel meet at a family dinner before the holiday.
- נועה Noaהיי דניאל, שנה טובה!Hi Daniel, shana tovah!Hi Daniel, happy New Year!
- דניאל Danielתודה נועה, גם לך שנה טובה.Toda Noa, gam lach shana tovah.Thanks Noa, a happy New Year to you too.
- נועה Noaתודה, שיהיה לך חג נעים.Toda, she'yihiye lecha chag na'im.Thanks, have a pleasant holiday.
- דניאל Danielתודה רבה, נתראה אחר כך.Toda raba, nitra'e achar kach.Thank you very much, see you later.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry שנה טובה, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries שנה, שנה טובה, CC BY-SA 4.0.
