חזיר
khazer[ˈχazəʁ]masculine
The Yiddish word for pig is חזיר (khazer). Wiktionary also lists כאַזער (khazer).
Meaning: mammal of family Suidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Yiddish | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| חזיר | khazer | [ˈχazəʁ] (narrow) | masculine |
| כאַזער | khazer | masculine |
The word refers to the mammal of the family Suidae.
Which one should you use?
The diminutive form chazirkele is used to emphasize a smaller or younger pig.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word חזיר is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
khazer
Did you know?
- The Hebrew root of חזיר means 'to return', which is a linguistic oddity since the animal name and the action of returning share the same letters.
- The diminutive chazirkele is not just for young animals but is frequently used sarcastically to describe a person's greed in a mocking tone.
- Even though Yiddish is a Germanic language, the word for 'pig' is not related to the German 'Schwein' or the English 'pig'.
Examples in context
- ער פֿרעסט ווי אַ חזיר.He eats like a pig.This sentence shows how to use חזיר in a comparison regarding eating habits.Tatoeba #9766715 by shekitten, translation #2980304 by pne
- וואָס מאַכסטו מיטן חזיר?What are you doing with the pig?This sentence demonstrates a question involving the word חזיר.Tatoeba #8735524 by shekitten, translation #8735518 by deniko
- טאָם איז דיק ווי אַ חזיר.Tom is as fat as a pig.This sentence illustrates an idiomatic comparison of size using חזיר.Tatoeba #12709183 by rul, translation #12709182 by rul
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Reizel and Yitzhak are looking at animals on a farm.
- רייזל Reizelזעט, דאָרטן איז אַ חזיר!zet, dortn iz a khazir!Look, there is a pig!
- יצחק Yitzchakער איז זייער גרויס.er iz zeyer groys.He is very big.
- רייזל Reizelער איז אַ חזיר מיט פֿרוּן פֿאַרס.er iz a khazir mit frun fars.He is a pig with a front fur.
- יצחק Yitzchakער זיעט זיך לעכטיק אויס.er zyet zikh lekhtik oys.He looks cheerful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pig” translations and entries חזיר, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
