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כיף
Keif
/kayf/
Fun, pleasure, enjoyment, a good time
💬What does Keif mean in Hebrew?
Keif (כיף, pronounced kayf) means "fun", "pleasure", or "enjoyment" in Israeli Hebrew, borrowed from Arabic. Something that's keif is pleasurable or enjoyable. "Ze keif!" means "that's fun/great!" "B'keif" means "with pleasure" or "gladly". The adjective form "keifit/keyfi" (fun, enjoyable) is also very common. "Keif retzach" (literally "murder-fun") means something incredibly fun — a common intensified compound.
🔊How to pronounce Keif
כיף
Keif
kayf
Capitals = stressed syllable
The Hebrew script reads right-to-left. The English transliteration uses the Israeli Sephardic pronunciation standard.
🇮🇱When do Israelis use Keif?
Keif describes pure enjoyment — something is keif when it's genuinely fun or pleasurable. "Ze keif!" (that's fun/great!). Used as an adjective (keifis — fun things), as an adverb (b'keif — with pleasure, gladly), and standalone. The beach is keif. A boring meeting is the opposite of keif.
Fun fact
"Keif retzach" (כיף רצח — murder-fun) is a beloved Israeli compound meaning "an insane amount of fun." This dark-humorous intensification pattern (adding murder/death words to positive adjectives) is very characteristically Israeli.
📝Keif in a sentence — examples
הטיול היה כיף מטורף!
Hatiyul haya keif meturaf!
The trip was wildly fun!
כיף לראות אותך שוב.
Keif lirot otkha shuv.
It's great to see you again.
בוא נעשה משהו כייפי הערב.
Bo na'ase mashehu keyfi ha'erev.
Let's do something fun tonight.
📖Origin of Keif
From Arabic "kayf" (كيف — pleasure, comfort, the blissful feeling of ease and enjoyment). Also related to "kayif" in Persian. The root spread from Levantine Arabic into Hebrew through Mizrahi communities.
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