80+ Common Hebrew Slang Words and Phrases

One of the biggest things that will help you get integrated into Israeli culture and enter conversations is to learn how to speak the kind of everyday “street” Hebrew that Israelis speak. The majority of Hebrew slang words and expressions consist mainly of a mixture of Yiddish, Arabic and English. Obviously, slang is more prevalent among teenagers and young adults, but there are some slang words that date back many years, even decades. A good example of traditional slang in Hebrew is the expression “Ma-nish-ma” which means “What’s up?”

Below is a pretty comprehensive list of the most commonly used Hebrew slang words and phrases with interpretations. I also threw in a few Hebrew slang insults which are good to know since they may come in handy.

Common Hebrew Slang Words

Individual words that have colloquial or street meanings

Eser	Literally “ten” – Means awesome, great
Pi-tzootz	Literally “explosion” – Means cool, awesome
Pro-texia	Pull, favoritism, or nepotism
Combina	Using the system to your advantage; an “under the table” or “off the record” deal
M’toomtam	Stupid, idiot, moron
Ci-iloo	Like
Yesh!	Yes!
Sa-toom	Stupid
Leezrom	Go with the flow
Le-gamrei	Totally
Magniv	Cool
Shtu-yot	Nonsense, stupid things
Debbil	Retard, jerk
Tembel	Idiot, moron
Zevel	Garbage
Mispar	A “character”
Shovav	Mischief maker
Sachut	Wiped out
Sabbon	Litterally “soap”- means sissy
Cha-le-veye	If only
Fri’er	Sucker or chump

Common Slang Phrases in Hebrew

Phrases and figures of speech in Hebrew

Chaval Al HaZman	Literally “a waste of time” – Means awesome, amazing or the litteral meaning depending on the tone and context
Sof HaDerech	Literally “end of the road” – Means cool, awesome
Al HaPanim	Literally “on the face” – means awful, bad
Eh-ze Zevel!	What garbage!
Le’echol S’ratim	Literally: to “eat movies;” means to love drama
Chai B’seret	Literally: to “live in a movie;” means to be unrealistic
Stom ta-peh sh-cha	Shut your mouth
Ibbed et ha-rosh	Lost his head
Si-pur ah-cher	A different story
Kelafim al ha-shulchan	Cards on the table
Or yarok	Green light
Jook ba-rosh	Crazy idea
B’shoom o-fen lo	No way!
Met alei-ha	Crazy about her
Nigmar ha-sus	Out of gas
Ha-zaken sheli	My old man
Yeled shel imma	Momma’s boy
Asah galim	Made waves
Asah par-tzoo-fim	Made faces
Asah chay-yim	Live it up
Chay b’seret	Drama king, not realistic
Ve-od eich!	And how!
Mah pi-tom?!	Since when?!
Mi va-mi	Who’s who
Kor ke-la-vim	Literally “dog cold;” Means freezing cold
Bilbel et ha-mo’ach	Drove him crazy
Yarad me-ha-pasim	Lost his mind
Nafal al ha-rosh	Lost his mind
Eize balagan	What a mess
Lakach la-lev	Took to heart
Lev shel zahav	Heart of gold
Rosh patu’ach	Open mind
Lo yode’ah me-ha-chay-yim shelo	He is clueless
Peh gaddol	Big mouth
Avodah aravit	Sloppy work
Mah yeish le-cha?	What’s your problem?
Sachek otah	Go for it
Yafeh nefesh	Sensitive person

Hebrew Slang Based on Arabic

Ahalan	Hi
Achla	Cool
Ars	Punk, low-life
Basa	Bummer
Jora	Cesspool; dirty mouth
Kef	Fun
Ala kefak or ala kef-kefak	Great, fantastic, really cool
Habibi	Friend
Ya habibi	Wow
Tembel	Dunce
Mapsut	Pleased, satisfied
Fashla	Screw up; mess up
Sababa	Cool, great
Yalla	Let’s go!

Hebrew Slang Based on Yiddish

Stam	Nothing special; no reason; just kiddingI
Ich-seh	Yuck
Bubeleh; mamma-le	Term of endearment to a female
Chutzpah	Brash, opinionated
Shmendrik	Jerk
Kolboynick	Know-it-all
Schmoe	Naive, a little stupid
Drek	Worthless thing
Schlep	To drag something heavy or to go somewhere with great effort or reluctantly
Yutzi	Stupid
Shiksa	Non-Jewish Female; used as insult
Shai-getz	Non-Jewish Male; use as insult
Mensch	Good person
Meschugena	Crazy woman
Meschugener	Crazy man
Klip	Talkative woman