סנאי
sna'í/snaˈ(ʔ)i/masculine
The Hebrew word for squirrel is סנאי (sna'í).
The term refers to the rodent known as a squirrel.
Meaning: rodent (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is סנאי, and the plural form is סנאים.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is sna'í (/snaˈ(ʔ)i/).
Did you know?
- The word סנאי is not found in the Hebrew Bible because squirrels are not native to the Levant region.
- The word סנאי is a modern creation. It was developed as a 'back-formation' from an older phrase, חֻלְדַּת הַסְּנָאִים, which literally means 'bushrat'.
- Because squirrels are not native to the Levant, the word סנאי is almost exclusively used in Israel to describe the non-native species introduced from Europe and Asia.
Examples in context
- לתום יש רק סנאי אחד.Tom has only one squirrel.This sentence shows the use of the singular סנאי to indicate possession.Tatoeba #3255600 by fekundulo, translation #3250967 by Hybrid
- ראיתי סנאי לבקן היום.I saw an albino squirrel today.This sentence demonstrates the use of סנאי when describing a specific type of squirrel.Tatoeba #5242907 by fekundulo, translation #2718071 by Hybrid
- סנאי התחבא בין העפאים.A squirrel hid among the branches.This sentence illustrates how to use סנאי when describing an animal's movement.Tatoeba #5818975 by fekundulo, translation #29689 by CM
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Noam and Maya are walking in the park.
- נועם Noamתראי, יש סנאי על העץ!Tiri, yesh sani al ha-etz!Look, there is a squirrel on the tree!
- מאיה Mayaהוא נראה ממש חמוד.Hu nir'a mamash hamud.He looks really cute.
- נועם Noamאני חושב שהסנאי מחפש אוכל.Ani hoshev she-ha-sani mekhapes okhel.I think the squirrel is looking for food.
- מאיה Mayaאל תדליק אותו, הוא יברח.Al tadhlik oto, hu yivrakh.Don't startle him, he will run away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “squirrel” translations and entries סנאי, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries סנאי, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
