שנה טובה
shanah tovah
To say "happy new year for rosh hashanah" in Hebrew, use שנה טובה (shanah tovah).
שנה טובה is the standard, most common way to wish someone a happy New Year during Rosh Hashanah.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "good year": שנה (shanah) means "year" and טובה (tovah) means "good".
Which one should you use?
A common variation of this greeting is שנה טובה ומתוקה (shanah tovah u'metukah), which means "a good and sweet year".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective טובה (tovah) is in the feminine form to agree with the feminine noun שנה (shanah).
How do you pronounce it?
shanah tovah
Did you know?
- The phrase שנה טובה is linked to the belief that an angel writes people's names into a 'Book of Life' during this period.
- When people say שנה טובה ומתוקה, they are often eating apples dipped in honey to symbolize the 'sweet' part of the wish.
- In some traditions, שנה טובה is paired with the eating of a pomegranate, whose many seeds symbolize a year full of merits and good deeds.
Examples in context
- שנה טובה לכולם!Shana tovah le-kulam!Happy new year to everyone!
- שנה טובה ומבורכת!Shana tovah u-mevurakhet!A happy and blessed year!
Example conversation
Itay and Rotem meet at a family dinner before the holiday.
- איתי Itayרוטם, שנה טובה!Rotem, shana tovah!Rotem, happy new year!
- רוטם Rotemתודה, גם לך איתי!Toda, gam lekha Itay!Thanks, to you too, Itay!
- איתי Itayשנה טובה ומתוקה.Shana tovah u-metukah.A happy and sweet year.
- רוטם Rotemאמן, שנה טובה!Amen, shana tovah!Amen, happy new year!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry שנה טובה, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
