בעיה

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
ב־ע־ה (b-ʿ-h)

From Jewish Babylonian Aramaic בעיא (“dilemma, something that needs to be worked out”), from the root ב־ע־י (“to request, to need”).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew, formal) IPA^(key): /be.aˈja/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ba.aˈja/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

בְּעָיָה • (be'ayá) f

1. problem

Derived terms

• בעייתי / בְּעָיָתִי

References

• “בעיה” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language