Basic Nouns

1. מים

   mayim

   Water

   Usage

   The basic word for drinking water, understood in any eatery or shop

2. אוכל

   okhel

   Food

   Usage

   The general word for food — a way into asking where you can eat

3. כסף

   kesef

   Money

   Usage

   The base word for anything about paying or changing currency

4. שירותים

   sherutim

   Toilet

   Usage

   Essential when asking directions. The word alone usually does the job

5. ממחטות

   mimkhatot

   Tissue

   Usage

   Needed at toilets and street stalls that provide no paper

6. תרופה

   trufa

   Medicine

   Usage

   Use it at a pharmacy while miming your symptom

7. מזוודה

   mizvada

   Suitcase

   Usage

   For checking, carrying or collecting bags — common at airports and hotels

8. מפתח

   mafteakh

   Key

   Usage

   For room keys and locker keys

9. כרטיס

   kartis

   Ticket

   Usage

   Transport or entry tickets. Combine it with a number at the counter

10. דרכון

    darkon

    Passport

    Usage

    Requested at check-in and currency exchange, and the word you need if it goes missing

11. טלפון

    telefon

    Phone

    Usage

    Usually covers both the device and the act of calling

12. מטען

    mat'en

    Charger

    Usage

    For borrowing or buying one — often needed at a hotel front desk

13. תחנה

    takhana

    Station

    Usage

    A landmark word when asking for directions

14. בית חולים

    beit kholim

    Hospital

    Usage

    For when you fall ill — works as a destination in a taxi

15. משטרה

    mishtara

    Police

    Usage

    For theft or accidents. Even the bare word conveys urgency

16. חנות

    khanut

    Shop

    Usage

    The base word when asking where to buy something

17. חדר

    kheder

    Room

    Usage

    For accommodation — checking vacancies or explaining a room number

18. כביש

    kvish

    Road

    Usage

    For asking the way, ideally while pointing at a map

19. משפחה

    mishpakha

    Family

    Usage

    A guaranteed small-talk topic. Add a number and the conversation keeps going

20. שם

    shem

    Name

    Usage

    For confirming a booking or introducing yourself

21. ראש

    rosh

    Head

    Usage

    Point at your own head while showing this — the same word also means "chief" (rosh ha-memshala = prime minister)

22. עין

    ayin

    Eye

    Usage

    Both eyes together are "einayim". The same word means "spring/well" in place names, so use it only while pointing at your face

23. שן

    shen

    Tooth

    Usage

    The plural is "shinayim"; a dentist is "rofe shinayim"

24. גרון

    garon

    Throat

    Usage

    For pain inside the throat; the outside of the neck is "tsavar", a different word

25. בטן

    beten

    Stomach / belly

    Usage

    The belly as a whole; "ko'ev li ha-beten" means "my stomach hurts"

26. גב

    gav

    Back

    Usage

    The back; the lower back has its own term, "gav takhton"

27. גב תחתון

    gav takhton

    Lower back

    Usage

    For lower-back pain. Hebrew has no single word for the Japanese "koshi"; this two-word phrase is what is used

    Grammar Note

    "Takhton" (lower) is the masculine form, agreeing with "gav", which is a masculine noun

28. רגל

    regel

    Leg / foot

    Usage

    Hebrew "regel" covers both the leg and the foot — point at the actual spot if the distinction matters. Both legs are "raglayim"

29. יד

    yad

    Hand / arm

    Usage

    Covers the hand and the forearm; use "zroa" when you specifically mean the arm. Both hands are "yadayim"

30. חזה

    khaze

    Chest

    Usage

    The chest/ribcage, for reporting chest pain. The female breast is a separate word, "shad", so this one carries no sexual reading

31. מלון

    malon

    Hotel

    Usage

    Show this to a driver to say you want your hotel; also written "beit malon". The identical spelling can mean "melon", so pair it with the hotel name or address

32. שדה תעופה

    sde te'ufa

    Airport

    Usage

    For saying you are heading to the airport; Israel's international airport is universally called Natbag (Ben Gurion), and road signs use that abbreviation

33. תחנת אוטובוס

    takhanat otobus

    Bus stop

    Usage

    Use when asking where to catch a bus; an intercity bus terminal is a "takhana merkazit"

34. רכבת קלה

    rakevet kala

    Light rail

    Usage

    Israel has no full metro network — the urban rail in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is light rail. Haifa's Carmelit funicular is the country's only underground line

35. שגרירות

    shagrirut

    Embassy

    Usage

    Show this when you need to reach your embassy, e.g. after losing a passport; a consulate is "konsulia"

36. כספומט

    kaspomat

    ATM

    Usage

    For finding a cash machine; a blend of "kesef" (money) and "automat"

37. צ'יינג'

    chainj

    Currency exchange

    Usage

    Israeli exchange bureaus almost always sign themselves with this transliteration of English "change"; the formal term "hamarat matbea" appears mostly in banks

38. מכבסה

    mikhbasa

    Laundry (shop)

    Usage

    For finding somewhere to wash clothes; say "mikhbasa otomatit" for a self-service one, since the same word also covers full-service laundries

39. כבאית

    kabait

    Fire engine

    Usage

    The vehicle itself; the same spelling also means a female firefighter, so point at the truck as you show it

40. קונסוליה

    konsulya

    Consulate

    Usage

    A diplomatic office below the level of an embassy; the embassy itself is shagrirut

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