εβραϊκός
evraïkós/e.vɾa.iˈkos/
The English word "jewish" is translated into Greek as εβραϊκός (evraïkós).
The term is used as an adjective to describe things of or relating to a Jew or Jews, including their ethnicity, religion or culture.
Meaning: of or relating to a Jew or Jews, their ethnicity, religion or culture (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes based on the gender of the noun it describes: use εβραϊκή for feminine nouns and εβραϊκό for neuter nouns. To express "of the Jews" in the genitive plural, use εβραϊκών. Additionally, if you are referring to people as nouns, a single Jewish male is εβραίος, a single Jewish female is εβραία and the plural for Jews is εβραίοι.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /e.vɾa.iˈkos/. It has four syllables, with the stress on the fourth syllable.
Did you know?
- When describing the 'Jewish quarter' of a city, Greeks use the phrase εβραϊκή συνοικία. In cities like Thessaloniki, this term evokes a deep history as the city was once known as the 'Jerusalem of the Balkans'.
- The Greek alphabet uses the letter β to pronounce the 'v' sound in εβραϊκός. In ancient Greek, this letter was a 'b' sound, meaning the word would have sounded more like 'ebraikos' in the past.
- The word εβραϊκός is a direct linguistic descendant of the ancient Koine Greek used during the era of the New Testament. This means the word used by modern Greeks to describe Jewish culture is essentially the same word used by people living two millennia ago.
Examples in context
- Ο άνθρωπος που γνώρισα σήμερα είναι Ιουδαϊκής καταγωγής.The man I met today is of Jewish descent.
- Ο φίλος μου έχει παντρευτεί μία Εβραία.My friend has married a Jewish woman.
Example conversation
Eleni and Nikos are discussing a history book in a cafe.
- Ελένη EleniΔες αυτό το εβραϊκό βιβλίο.Des afto to evraiko vivlio.Look at this Jewish book.
- Νίκος NikosΕίναι πολύ ενδιαφέρον.Einai poly endiaferon.It is very interesting.
- Ελένη EleniΜου αρέσει ο εβραϊκός πολιτισμός.Mou aresei o evraikos politismos.I like Jewish culture.
- Νίκος NikosΚαι εμένα, Ελένη.Kai emena, Eleni.Me too, Eleni.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry εβραϊκός, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries εβραϊκός, CC BY-SA 4.0.
