חכם
hakhám/χaˈχam/masculine
The Hebrew word for smart is חכם (hakhám).
This adjective is used to describe someone or something exhibiting intellectual knowledge, such as that found in books.
Meaning: exhibiting intellectual knowledge, such as that found in books (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form is חכם. Use the feminine form חכמה, the masculine plural form חכמים and the feminine plural form חכמות.
How do you pronounce it?
hakhám
Did you know?
- The word חכם also serves as a noun meaning 'sage' or 'wise man'. In ancient Jewish communities, a חכם was a recognized legal expert or scholar.
- In some modern Israeli slang, calling someone חכם (hakhám) sarcastically is a very common way to tell them they are being a 'know-it-all'.
- While חכם means intellectually smart, Hebrew uses a different word, פיקח, to describe someone who is 'street smart' or cunning.
Examples in context
- אני לא כל כך חכם.I'm not all that smart.This sentence is useful for expressing a lack of intelligence using חכם.Tatoeba #4661705 by fekundulo, translation #2546569 by CK
- לא אמרתי שתום חכם.I didn't say Tom was smart.This sentence is useful for attributing intelligence to a person using חכם.Tatoeba #6067209 by fekundulo, translation #2290442 by CK
- למעשה זה רעיון חכם.Actually that's a smart idea.This sentence is useful for describing an idea as smart using חכם.Tatoeba #6068294 by fekundulo, translation #4494022 by CK
- היא חכמה מאוד ותמיד יש לה תשובות טובות.She is very smart, and always has good answers.
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maya and Ido are discussing a student in their class.
- מאיה Mayaאתה חושב שעידו תלמיד חכם?ata khoshev she-ido talmid khakham?Do you think Ido is a smart student?
- עידו Idoכן, הוא מאוד חכם במתמטיקה.ken, hu me'od khakham be-matematika.Yes, he is very smart in mathematics.
- מאיה Mayaהוא תמיד עונה נכון על השאלות.hu tamid oné nakhon al ha-she'elot.He always answers the questions correctly.
- עידו Idoבדיוק, הוא באמת חכם.bidiyuk, hu be'emet khakham.Exactly, he is truly smart.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smart” translations and entries חכם, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
