Appendix:Modern Hebrew Swadesh list

This is a Swadesh list of words in Israeli Hebrew, compared with definitions in English.

Presentation

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For further information, including the full final version of the list, read the Wikipedia article: Swadesh list.

American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.

List

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EnglishHebrew
edit (207)
1I (1sg)אני (aní)
2you (2sg)אתה (atá) (masculine), את (át) (feminine)
3he, she, it (3sg)הוא () (masculine), היא () (feminine)
4we (1pl)אנחנו (anákh'nu)
5you (2pl)אתם (atém) (masculine), אתן (atén) (feminine)
6they (3pl)הם (hém) (masculine), הן (hén) (feminine)
7thisזה () (masculine), זאת (zót) (feminine), אלה (éle) (plural)
8thatהוא (hu) (masculine), היא (hi) (feminine), הם (hém) (plural)
9hereפה (), כאן (kán)
10thereשם (shám)
11whoמי ()
12whatמה ()
13whereאיפה (éfo)
14whenמתי (matái)
15howאיך (ékh)
16notלא (), אין (én)
17allכל (kól)
18manyהרבה (harbé)
19someכמה (káma), קצת (k'tsát)
20fewמעט (me'át)
21otherאחר (akhér)
22oneאחת (akhát) (feminine)
23twoשתיים (sh'táyim) (feminine)
24threeשלוש (shalósh) (feminine)
25fourארבע (árba) (feminine)
26fiveחמש (khamésh) (feminine)
27bigגדול (gadól)
28longארוך (arókh)
29wideרחב (rakháv)
30thickעבה (avé)
31heavyכבד (kavéd)
32smallקטן (katán)
33shortקצר (katsár)
34narrowצר (tsár)
35thinדק (dák)
36womanאישה (ishá)
37man (adult male)גבר (géver), איש (ísh)
38man (human being)אדם (adám), בן אדם (bén adám)
39childילד (yéled)
40wifeאישה (ishá)
41husbandבעל (bá'al)
42motherאם (ém)
43fatherאב (áv)
44animalחיה (khayá)
45fishדג (dág)
46birdציפור (tsipór)
47dogכלב (kélev)
48louseכינה (kiná)
49snakeנחש (nakhásh)
50wormתולעת (tolá'at)
51treeעץ (éts)
52forestיער (yá'ar)
53stickמקל (makél)
54fruitפרי (p'rí)
55seedזרע (zéra)
56leafעלה (alé)
57rootשורש (shóresh)
58bark (of a tree)קליפה (k'lipá)
59flowerפרח (pérakh)
60grassדשא (déshe), עשב (ésev)
61ropeחבל (khével)
62skinעור (ór)
63meatבשר (basár)
64bloodדם (dám)
65boneעצם (étsem)
66fat (noun)שומן (shumán)
67eggביצה (beitsá)
68hornקרן (kéren)
69tailזנב (zanáv)
70featherנוצה (notsá)
71hairשערה (sa'ará)
72headראש (rósh)
73earאוזן (ózen)
74eyeעין (áyin)
75noseאף (áf)
76mouthפה ()
77toothשן (shén)
78tongue (organ)לשון (lashón)
79fingernailציפורן (tsipóren)
80footרגל (régel)
81legרגל (régel)
82kneeברך (bérekh)
83handיד (yád)
84wingכנף (kanáf)
85bellyבטן (béten)
86gutsמעיים (me'ayím)
87neckצוואר (tsavár)
88backגב (gáv)
89breastשד (shád)
90heartלב (lév)
91liverכבד (kavéd)
92to drinkלשתות (lish'tót)
93to eatלאכול (le'ekhól)
94to biteלנשוך (lin'shókh)
95to suckלמצוץ (lim'tsóts)
96to spitלירוק (lirók)
97to vomitלהקיא (lehakí)
98to blowלנשוף (lin'shóf)
99to breatheלנשום (lin'shóm)
100to laughלצחוק (lits'khók)
101to seeלראות (lirót)
102to hearלשמוע (lish'mó'a)
103to knowלדעת (ladá'at)
104to thinkלחשוב (lakh'shóv)
105to smellלהריח (leharí'akh)
106to fearלפחד (lepakhéd)
107to sleepלישון (lishón)
108to liveלחיות (likhiyót)
109to dieלמות (lamút)
110to killלהרוג (laharóg)
111to fightלהלחם (lehil'khém)
112to huntלצוד (latsúd)
113to hitלהכות (lehakót)
114to cutלחתוך (lekhatókh)
115to splitלפצל (lepatsél)
116to stabלדקור (lid'kór)
117to scratchלשרוט (lis'rót)
118to digלחפור (lakh'pór)
119to swimלשחות (lis'khót)
120to flyלעוף (la'úf) (Natural flight), להטיס (lehatís) (Unnatural flight)
121to walkללכת (lalékhet)
122to comeלבוא (labó)
123to lie (as in a bed)לשכב (lish'káv)
124to sitלשבת (lashévet)
125to standלעמוד (la'amód)
126to turn (intransitive)להסתובב (lehis'tovév)
127to fallלנפול (lin'pól)
128to giveלתת (latét)
129to holdלהלהחזיק (lehakhzík)
130to squeezeללחוץ (lil'khóts)
131to rubלשפשף (leshaf'shéf)
132to washלשטוף (lish'tóf)
133to wipeלנגב (lenagév)
134to pullלמשוך (lim'shókh)
135to pushלדחוף (lid'khóf)
136to throwלזרוק (liz'rók)
137to tieלקשור (lik'shór)
138to sewלתפור (lit'pór)
139to countלספור (lis'pór)
140to sayלומר (lomár)
141to singלשיר (lashír)
142to playלשחק (lesakhék)
143to floatלצוף (latsúf)
144to flowלזרום (liz'róm)
145to freezeלקפוא (lik'pó)
146to swellלהתנפח (lehitnapé'akh)
147sunשמש (shémesh)
148moonירח (yaré'akh)
149starכוכב (kokháv)
150waterמים (máyim)
151rainגשם (géshem)
152riverנהר (nahár)
153lakeאגם (agám)
154seaים (yám)
155saltמלח (mélakh)
156stoneאבן (éven)
157sandחול (khól)
158dustאבק (avák)
159earthאדמה (adamá)
160cloudענן (anán)
161fogערפל (arafél)
162skyשמים (shamáyim)
163windרוח (rúakh)
164snowשלג (shéleg)
165iceקרח (kérakh)
166smokeעשן (ashán)
167fireאש (ésh)
168ashאפר (éfer)
169to burnשרף (saráf)
170roadדרך (dérekh)
171mountainהר (hár)
172redאדום (adóm)
173greenירוק (yarók)
174yellowצהוב (tsahóv)
175whiteלבן (laván)
176blackשחור (shakhór)
177nightלילה (láila)
178dayיום (yóm)
179yearשנה (shaná)
180warmחם (khám)
181coldקר (kár)
182fullמלא (malé)
183newחדש (khadásh)
184oldישן (yashán)
185goodטוב (tóv)
186badרע ()
187rottenרקוב (rakúv)
188dirtyמלוכלך (melukh'lákh)
189straightישר (yashár)
190roundעגול (agól)
191sharp (as a knife)חד (khád)
192dull (as a knife)קהה (kehé)
193smoothחלק (khalák)
194wetרטוב (ratúv)
195dryיבש (yavésh)
196correctנכון (nakhón)
197nearקרוב (karóv)
198farרחוק (rakhók)
199rightימין (yamín)
200leftשמאל (s'mól)
201atב־ (b'-), אצל (étsel)
202inב־ (b'-), בתוך (betókh)
203withעם (im)
204andו־ (ve-)
205ifאם (im)
206becauseכי (), בגלל (biglál)
207nameשם (shém)
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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