חיוך
chiyuch
The English word "smile" is translated to Hebrew as חיוך (chiyuch).
חיוך is a noun meaning "a smile," referring to a happy facial expression made with the mouth that does not involve making a sound.
Meaning: to have a smile on one's face (verb)
Which one should you use?
While חיוך is the noun for "a smile," the verb "to smile" is לחייך. To express a "wide smile," you use the phrase חיוך רחב.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
חיוך is a masculine noun. Its plural form is חיוכים.
How do you pronounce it?
chiyuch
Did you know?
- In Israeli culture, a smile is often seen as a sign of genuineness, but unlike some more formal cultures, a 'forced' smile is often called a 'fake' smile in a very blunt way, such as חיוך מזויף.
- In some poetic Hebrew contexts, a חיוך can be used to describe the 'smile' of the sun or the dawn, attributing human emotion to nature.
- While 'smile' is a simple concept, the Hebrew root ח־י־ך (ḥ-y-k) is quite rare and specific to this facial expression, making it feel like a specialized vocabulary word rather than a common, everyday building block.
Examples in context
- תמיד היה לו חיוך.He always had a smile.This sentence shows how to use חיוך to describe someone having a smile.Tatoeba #4884831 by fekundulo, translation #4874351 by Amastan
- תן לי חיוך בבקשה.Please give me a smile.This sentence uses חיוך as a request to give a smile.Tatoeba #6014688 by fekundulo, translation #5451733 by AlanF_US
- לסוזי יש חיוך יפה.Susie has a nice smile.This sentence uses חיוך to describe a person's smile as being nice.Tatoeba #1809597 by MrShoval, translation #52384 by CN
- יש לך חיוך רחב ויפה מאודYou have a wide and beautiful smile
- תמיד אני אוהב/אוהבת לראות את החיוך שלךI always love seeing your smile
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Itay and Rotem are taking a photo together.
- איתי Itayרוטם, תעשי חיוך לתמונה!Rotem, ta'asi hiyukh la-tmuna!Rotem, give a smile for the photo!
- רוטם Rotemאני מנסה, אבל זה לא טבעי.Ani menasa, aval ze lo tiv'i.I'm trying, but it's not natural.
- איתי Itayפשוט תשמרי על חיוך קטן.Pashut tishmri al hiyukh katan.Just keep a small smile.
- רוטם Rotemבסדר, עכשיו אני מוכנה.Beseder, akhshav ani mukhana.Okay, now I am ready.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
