ייִדיש
yidish/ˈjɪdɪʃ/
The Yiddish word for "jewish" is ייִדיש (yidish).
ייִדיש is an adjective used to describe anything 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)
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context, ייִדיש can mean either the adjective "jewish" or the name of the language itself, "Yiddish".
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, the form of ייִדיש changes based on the noun it describes. It takes the masculine ending ייִדישער when preceding a masculine noun. It uses the ending ייִדישע for feminine singular nouns or for any plural nouns. The ending ייִדישן is used in certain grammatical cases, such as masculine accusative or neuter dative.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is yidish. In the IPA, it is pronounced /ˈjɪdɪʃ/.
Did you know?
- While the word looks like it is made of the Yiddish word for a Jew, ייִד, and a suffix, its actual history is a journey through Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.
- Yiddish is often described as a 'fusion language' because it blends Germanic grammar with Hebrew and Aramaic vocabulary.
- The word ייִדיש follows a pattern similar to English words like 'English' or 'Scottish', which use a Germanic suffix to denote origin or identity.
Examples in context
- איך בין אַ ייִדיש־קינד.I'm a Jewish woman.This sentence is useful for identifying a person using the form ייִדיש.Tatoeba #11874946 by shekitten, translation #11874924 by shekitten
- דאָס איז אַ ייִדישער קולט.That's a Jewish cult.This sentence is useful for describing a cult using the form ייִדישער.Tatoeba #11911904 by shekitten, translation #3145241 by faehrmann
- דער תּנך איז די ייִדישע „ביבל‟.The Tanakh is the Jewish Bible.This sentence is useful for describing the Bible using the form ייִדישע.Tatoeba #8531294 by shekitten, translation #1069871 by shekitten
- איך בין אַ שטאָלצער ייִדI'm a proud Jew.
- 61 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Menachem and Sarah are discussing their heritage.
- מנחם Menahemדו ביסט אַ ייִדישע פֿרוי, שרה?Du bist a yidishe froy, Sarah?Are you a Jewish woman, Sarah?
- שרה Saraיאָ, איך בין גאָר ייִדיש.Yo, ikh bin gor yidish.Yes, I am very Jewish.
- מנחם Menahemדאָס איז זייער שיין.Dos iz zeyer sheyn.That is very beautiful.
- שרה Saraדאַנק, מנחם.Dank, Menachem.Thank you, Menachem.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jewish” translations and entries ייִדיש, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ייִדיש, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
