ישר
yashár
The Hebrew word for honest is ישר (yashár).
ישר is used to describe someone who is scrupulous with regard to telling the truth. Note that this word is also the standard term used to describe something that is physically straight, such as a line.
Meaning: scrupulous with regard to telling the truth (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word ישר literally means 'straight'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes based on gender and number: use ישרה for a feminine subject and ישרים for a masculine plural subject. If you want to refer to the concept of honesty itself, use the noun ישרות.
How do you pronounce it?
yashár
Did you know?
- The Hebrew word ישר shares a root with the word for 'easy' in Arabic, suggesting a linguistic connection between something being 'straight' and something being 'simple'.
- While ישר means 'honest', the word כנה also describes honesty but specifically refers to being 'sincere' or 'candid' rather than just following a moral code.
- Because ישר means 'straight', a person who is not 'honest' might be described as עקום, which literally means 'crooked' or 'bent'.
Examples in context
- היא בן אדם ישר.He's an honest man.This sentence illustrates the use of ישר to describe an honest man.Tatoeba #1996993 by MrShoval, translation #1996917 by Spamster
- סמית היה אדם ישר.Smith was an honest man.Tatoeba #1418369 by MrShoval, translation #806862 by Source_VOA
- תום נראה כאדם ישר.Tom seems to be an honest person.This sentence illustrates the use of ישר to describe an honest person.Tatoeba #6051198 by fekundulo, translation #4955291 by CK
- הרכב שלו עשה מעל 500,000 קילומטרים, זה מצוין ונאמן מאוד.His car has traveled over 500,000 kilometers, it's excellent and very reliable.
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Noa and Itay are discussing a new business partner.
- נועה Noaאתה חושב שהשותף החדש ישר?ata choshev sheha-shutaf hachadash yashar?Do you think the new partner is honest?
- איתי Itayכן, הוא נראה לי אדם ישר מאוד.ken, hu nir'a li adam yashar me'od.Yes, he seems like a very honest person to me.
- נועה Noaזה חשוב לי שיהיה ישר.ze chashuv li sheyihiye yashar.It is important to me that he be honest.
- איתי Itayאני מסכים, איתי לא יעבוד עם מי שאינו ישר.ani maschim, Itay lo ya'avod im mi she'eino yashar.I agree, Itay won't work with someone who isn't honest.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ישר, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ישר, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
