נאַר
nar
The Yiddish word for stupid is נאַר (nar).
The word נאַר is used to describe someone or something that is lacking in intelligence. It is a versatile term that can function as an adjective to mean 'stupid' or as a noun to mean 'a fool'.
Meaning: lacking in intelligence (adj)
Which one should you use?
While נאַר can be used as an adjective meaning 'stupid', it is very frequently used as a noun to mean 'a fool'.
How do you pronounce it?
nar
Did you know?
- In traditional Jewish humor, the 'fool' is often a character who possesses a hidden, paradoxical wisdom that the 'intelligent' characters lack.
- The word has many 'cousins' in Northern Europe, such as the Swedish 'narr' and Dutch 'nar', all tracing back to the same ancient root.
- Although it means 'stupid', the word נאַר can also imply someone is acting like a 'clown' or a person playing a part for entertainment.
Examples in context
- זײַ נישט קיין נאַר.Don't be stupid.This sentence shows how to use נאַר when telling someone not to be stupid.Tatoeba #10332424 by shekitten, translation #674479 by yessoos
- זי איז גאַנץ נאַריש.She's pretty stupid.This sentence uses נאַר to describe a person as being pretty stupid.Tatoeba #9001267 by shekitten, translation #9000943 by shekitten
- דאָס איז סתּם נאַריש.That's just plain stupid.This sentence uses נאַר to describe an action or thing as plain stupid.Tatoeba #11401874 by shekitten, translation #8518913 by CK
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Berel and Chana are discussing a bad decision.
- בערל Berelוואס האסטו געטאָן? דאָס איז נאַר!Vos hastu geton? Dos iz nar!What did you do? That is stupid!
- חנה Chanaאיך האב נישט געוואוסט.Ikh hob nisht gewust.I didn't know.
- בערל Berelחנה, דו ביסט א נאַר.Chana, du bist a nar.Chana, you are a stupid person.
- חנה Chanaהער אויף צו רעדן אזוי!Her oyf tsu redn azoy!Stop talking like that!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry נאַר, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries נאַר, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
