שֶׁמֶשׁ
shémeshfeminine, masculine
The Hebrew word for sun is שֶׁמֶשׁ (shémesh). Wiktionary also lists חַמָּה (khamá).
Meaning: the star around which the Earth revolves (name)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| שֶׁמֶשׁ | shémesh | feminine, masculine |
| חַמָּה | khamá | feminine |
The primary way to refer to the star around which the Earth revolves is שֶׁמֶשׁ. This word is also used to refer to the light and warmth received from the sun. For example, the phrase אור שמש means sunlight and קרני שמש means sunbeams or the rays of the sun.
Which one should you use?
שֶׁמֶשׁ is the standard word for the sun. In contrast, חַמָּה is a more poetic or literary term often used to emphasize the sun's heat or brightness.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word שֶׁמֶשׁ is grammatically feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
shémesh
Did you know?
- While שֶׁמֶשׁ is feminine, the word for moon, לְבָנָה, is also feminine in Hebrew, unlike in many other languages where the sun and moon are opposite genders.
- In the Hebrew Bible, the sun is occasionally personified as a deity or a powerful entity, reflecting ancient Near Eastern cultural influences.
- In some Jewish mystical traditions, the sun is viewed as a symbol of the intellect, while the moon represents the emotions.
Example sentences for Hebrew are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sun” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
