Hebrew nouns have grammatical gender — every noun is either masculine (m) or feminine (f). Adjectives must match the noun's gender. Learn the gender of each noun as you memorise it.
Gender rule of thumb: Most feminine nouns end in ה- or ת-. Masculine nouns often have no special ending — but many exceptions exist. Always learn the gender with the word.
20 Essential Everyday Nouns
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Gender | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בַּיִת | bayit | house / home | m | Very common. בַּיִת = house; with suffix = at home |
| מַיִם | mayim | water | m (pl.) | Always plural form in Hebrew |
| אֹכֶל | ochel | food | m | |
| אִישׁ | ish | man / person | m | Plural: אֲנָשִׁים (anashim) |
| אִשָּׁה | isha | woman | f | Plural: נָשִׁים (nashim) |
| יֶלֶד | yeled | boy / child | m | Plural: יְלָדִים (yeladim) |
| יַלְדָּה | yalda | girl | f | |
| סֵפֶר | sefer | book | m | Plural: סְפָרִים (sfarim) |
| שֻׁלְחָן | shulchan | table | m | |
| כִּסֵּא | kise | chair | m | |
| דֶּלֶת | delet | door | f | |
| חַלּוֹן | chalon | window | m | |
| טֵלֶפוֹן | telefon | phone | m | |
| מְכוֹנִית | mechonit | car | f | |
| עִיר | ir | city | f | Plural: עָרִים (arim) |
| אֶרֶץ | erets | country / land | f | |
| יוֹם | yom | day | m | Plural: יָמִים (yamim) |
| לַיְלָה | layla | night | m (irregular) | Despite the ה ending, layla is masculine |
| כֶּסֶף | kesef | money | m | Also means silver |
| זְמַן | zman | time | m |