Products מוצרים
Mobile AppWeb TranslatorChrome ExtensionSpeak HebrewAPIs & DevelopersHebrewCore APIEnterpriseFor NewsroomsFor GovernmentTools כלים
All Hebrew ToolsHebrew to English TranslatorEnglish to Hebrew TranslatorOnline Hebrew KeyboardVerb ConjugatorGematria CalculatorHebrew Date ConverterToday's Hebrew DateJewish Holidays This YearZmanim by CityYour Name in HebrewThe Hebrew AlphabetSlang Dictionarybaba AtlasLearn ללמוד
baba LearnBest AI Hebrew TutorsCompare AI TutorsHebrew GuidesAI Hebrew TutorHebrew for Yom KippurHebrew for TravelHebrew in the NewsIsraeli News in EnglishHebrew News in EnglishHebrew on WhatsAppBlogNews חדשות
baba NewsGood Morning, IsraelIsraeli NewsroomsIsraeli News APIMore עוד
PlansAboutSupportWhat משוך, דחוף, אין כניסה and שירותים mean on Israeli signs.
On the label or sign
m'shokh
US English
Pull
UK English
Pull
משוך (m'shokh) on a door, handle or gate means pull it toward you. משוך is a command form, and signs print משוך without vowel marks.
The pointed form is מְשֹׁךְ, pronounced m'shokh, not meshokh.
Do not pronounce the ו in משוך as "u"; say m'shokh and pull.
On the label or sign
d'khof
US English
Push
UK English
Push
דחוף (d'khof) on a door or gate means push it away from you. The pointed command is דְּחֹף.
The same unpointed spelling can be the adjective דָּחוּף (dakhuf), "urgent," as in מקרה דחוף, "urgent case." The vowels and stress differ, and the door supplies the context.
Do not read d'khof on a door as "urgent"; on a door, d'khof means push.
knisa
US English
Entrance
UK English
Entrance
כניסה (knisa) marks an entrance, an inbound lane, or the way into a building, car park or station.
Knisa can also mean the act or price of entering, not only the doorway.
Do not translate knisa only as "admission"; on a sign, knisa is the way in.
yetzia
US English
Exit
UK English
Exit; way out
יציאה (yetzia) marks the way out of a building, station or car park.
Not every yetzia is an emergency exit; the emergency form is יציאת חירום.
Do not assume a plain yetzia sign is an emergency route.
On the label or sign
ein knisa, haknisa asura
US English
No entry; do not enter
UK English
No entry
אין כניסה (ein knisa) is an ordinary no-entry notice on a building, gate, staff door or private property.
On the road, the legal no-entry sign is sign 402, a red disc with a horizontal white bar meaning entry is prohibited to all vehicles. The words ein knisa need not appear on sign 402.
Do not confuse road sign 402 with sign 401, a red ring meaning the road is closed in both directions to all vehicles.
On the label or sign
knisa bilvad, yetzia bilvad
US English
Entrance only; exit only
UK English
Entrance only; exit only
כניסה בלבד (knisa bilvad) and יציאה בלבד (yetzia bilvad) mark a one-direction door, lane or gate.
The word בלבד (bilvad), "only," turns an ordinary entrance or exit sign into a one-way rule.
Do not miss bilvad and walk against the flow.
leovdim bilvad, lemurshim bilvad
US English
Employees only; authorized personnel only
UK English
Staff only; authorised personnel only
לעובדים בלבד (leovdim bilvad) and למורשים בלבד (lemurshim bilvad) usually appear on a back room, plant room, office or security door.
Leovdim bilvad restricts who may enter, not the direction of travel.
Do not read מורשים in lemurshim bilvad as "teachers"; מורשים means authorized people.
patuakh, sagur
US English
Open; closed
UK English
Open; closed
פתוח (patuakh) and סגור (sagur) show whether a shop, office, toilet, gate or facility is open or closed, often on a reversible door card.
Sagur can also be an instruction to close something, or colloquial "settled," but on a status card sagur means closed.
On a door card, read sagur as "closed" and come back later.
On the label or sign
sheot ptikha, sheot peilut
US English
Opening hours
UK English
Opening hours
שעות פתיחה (sheot ptikha) heads the days and times on a shop, office, attraction or website. קבלת קהל (kabalat kahal) marks the hours an office receives the public.
Sheot ptikha do not always mean walk-in service. Look for בתיאום מראש or בזימון תור מראש, "by appointment."
Do not read קבלת קהל as a social reception; קבלת קהל means public counter hours.
On the label or sign
na lisgor, na lo lagaat
US English
Please close; please do not touch
UK English
Please close; please do not touch
נא (na) plus a verb is a standard polite sign pattern: נא לסגור, "please close," נא לא לטרוק, "please do not slam," נא לא לגעת, "please do not touch."
Na is a polite request word, not a negation. The negation in na lo lagaat is לא.
Do not read na as "no"; na means please.
On the label or sign
sherutim
US English
Restroom; bathroom
UK English
Toilets
שירותים (sherutim) is the public toilet sign, normally paired with person, wheelchair, family or baby-changing pictograms.
Sherutim is also the plural of שירות, "service," so outside a toilet context sherutim can mean "services."
Do not translate a sherutim door sign as "services"; follow the pictogram.
On the label or sign
nashim, gvarim
US English
Women; men
UK English
Women; men
נשים (nashim) and גברים (gvarim) label toilets or changing rooms, often under person pictograms.
Accessible and family facilities may use a combined symbol instead of nashim or gvarim. חדר החתלה is a baby-changing room.
Read nashim and gvarim together with the pictogram beside them.
tafus, panui
US English
Occupied; vacant, available
UK English
Engaged; vacant, free
תפוס (tafus) and פנוי (panui) show the status of a toilet lock, fitting room, seat, room, taxi or parking space.
Panui also means "single" about a person, and tafus can mean "busy," but on a lock tafus is occupied and panui is vacant.
Read panui on a toilet lock as "vacant."
On the label or sign
nagish, knisa negisha, sherutim negishim
US English
Accessible; accessible entrance or restroom
UK English
Accessible; accessible entrance or toilet
נגיש (nagish) marks a route, entrance, counter, lift or toilet with disability access, usually with a wheelchair symbol.
Nagish on a public sign means disability access, not "nearby." A wheelchair symbol does not promise that every feature of the site is accessible.
Do not read nagish as "close by"; nagish means accessible.
maalit, madregot
US English
Elevator; stairs
UK English
Lift; stairs
מעלית (maalit) labels an elevator or points to one, and מדרגות (madregot) marks stairs.
US readers look for "elevator" and UK readers for "lift," but the Hebrew is maalit for both.
Do not follow madregot when you need step-free access; look for maalit or a ramp sign.
On the label or sign
koma, komat karka
US English
Floor; ground floor
UK English
Storey; ground floor
קומה (koma) plus a number appears on directories and elevator panels, and קומת קרקע (komat karka) is ground level.
Ground level is labeled komat karka, so do not assume US floor numbering.
Read the posted koma number or komat karka rather than guessing which level is "1."
modiin
US English
Information
UK English
Information
מודיעין (modiin) marks an information desk, commonly with an "i" or question-mark pictogram.
The desk word modiin is spelled like the city Modi'in. The pictogram and the building context tell them apart.
In a lobby, read modiin as the information desk, not the city.
On the label or sign
kupa, kabala
US English
Checkout; cash register; box office
UK English
Till; checkout; box office
קופה (kupa) is the payment point in a supermarket, ticket window or cashier desk. קבלה (kabala) is a reception desk at a hotel, clinic or office, and also a receipt.
You pay at the kupa and receive a kabala. At a checkout, בקש קבלה means "ask for a receipt."
Do not confuse kupa, where you pay, with kabala, the reception desk or receipt.
On the label or sign
tor, zimun tor, hamten letorkha
US English
Line; turn; appointment
UK English
Queue; turn; appointment
תור (tor) appears on queue screens in clinics, banks and government offices. זימון תור (zimun tor) means booking an appointment, and המתן לתורך (hamten letorkha) means wait your turn.
Tor can be an appointment slot, not only a physical line. A numbered עמדה is a service point.
Do not treat נא להמתין or hamten letorkha as permission to go in; wait to be called.
asur leashen
US English
No smoking
UK English
No smoking
אסור לעשן (asur leashen) appears with a red barred-cigarette pictogram. Israeli public-place rules require set text and a symbol.
Asur leashen covers cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookah, cigars and other smoking or vaping products.
Do not treat asur leashen as a casual request; in covered public places asur leashen is a regulated ban.
On the label or sign
ein maavar, asur letzalem
US English
No passage; no photography
UK English
No passage; no access; no photography
אין מעבר (ein maavar) blocks a corridor, construction area, staff area or security barrier, often with a barred-person pictogram. אסור לצלם (asur letzalem) bans photography, often with a camera and slash.
מעבר in ein maavar means passage or access, not a pedestrian crossing.
Do not read ein maavar as a crossing sign; ein maavar means you cannot go through.
On the label or sign
zehirut, sakana
US English
Caution; danger
UK English
Caution; danger
זהירות (zehirut), "caution," heads a warning and is usually followed by the hazard. סכנה (sakana), "danger," heads stronger hazard signs on electrical, construction or industrial equipment.
Zehirut alone is only a heading; the words after zehirut name the hazard. On electrical signs, מתח גבוה means high voltage.
Do not stop reading at zehirut; read the hazard named after zehirut.
yetziat kherum
US English
Emergency exit
UK English
Emergency exit; fire exit
יציאת חירום (yetziat kherum) marks an emergency escape route, usually a lit green sign with running-person and arrow pictograms.
חירום means emergency, so yetziat kherum may point a different way from an ordinary יציאה.
In an emergency, follow yetziat kherum, not a plain יציאה sign.
merkhav mugan
US English
Protected space
UK English
Protected space
מרחב מוגן (merkhav mugan) is the general Home Front Command category, used on signs that point to protected space.
Merkhav mugan does not name one construction type, so a merkhav mugan sign does not say whether it means a ממ״ד, ממ״ק, ממ״מ or מקלט.
Do not translate merkhav mugan simply as "safe room" inside an apartment.
mamad
US English
Apartment protected room
UK English
Dwelling protected room
ממ״ד (mamad) stands for מרחב מוגן דירתי, the protected room inside a home.
A mamad is inside the apartment, unlike a floor, institutional or shelter space.
Do not call a communal shelter a mamad.
mamak
US English
Floor protected space
UK English
Storey protected space
ממ״ק (mamak) stands for מרחב מוגן קומתי, a protected space that serves a whole floor.
A mamak is shared by the floor, not inside each apartment.
Do not assume a building with a mamak has a protected room in every apartment.
mamam
US English
Institutional protected space
UK English
Institutional protected space
ממ״מ (mamam) stands for מרחב מוגן מוסדי, the protected space type for an institution.
Mamam has three מ letters; mamak ends in ק and serves a floor.
Do not drop the third מ or confuse mamam with mamak.
On the label or sign
miklat
US English
Shelter
UK English
Shelter
מקלט (miklat) is a shelter, which can be public or shared by a building depending on where it is posted. Shelter signs include הכניסה למקלט, "shelter entrance."
Official guidance separates a shared-building miklat from a public miklat and ties use to reaching it within the warning time.
Do not assume every miklat is public or that every apartment building has one.
atzor, ten zkhut kedima
US English
Stop; yield
UK English
Stop; give way
עצור (atzor) is the written command "stop" and the official meaning of sign 302, a red octagon with a white hand. תן זכות קדימה (ten zkhut kedima) is the meaning of sign 301, an inverted red-bordered triangle.
Sign 302 normally shows no Hebrew word, and sign 301 relies on the triangle. US English says yield where UK English says give way.
Do not wait to see atzor printed on a road sign; learn the white hand on the red octagon.
On the label or sign
ein khanaya, asura hakhanaya
US English
No parking
UK English
No parking
אין חניה (ein khanaya) may appear on a gate or private notice. Official road sign 432 is a symbol meaning parking is prohibited on that side, and sign 433 bans both stopping and parking.
No parking and no stopping are different road signs. חניה פרטית means private parking, not paid public parking.
Read any extra plate with hours or exceptions under an ein khanaya or road sign.
| You need | Hebrew sign | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Pull | משוךm'shokh | On doors and gates. |
| Push | דחוףd'khof | Not dakhuf, urgent, on a door. |
| Entrance | כניסהknisa | Add בלבד for entrance only. |
| Exit | יציאהyetzia | Emergency exit is יציאת חירום. |
| No entry | אין כניסהein knisa | Road version is a red disc with a white bar. |
| Restroom or toilets | שירותיםsherutim | Also means services elsewhere. |
| Accessible | נגישnagish | Disability access, not nearby. |
| Elevator or lift | מעליתmaalit | US elevator, UK lift. |
| Checkout | קופהkupa | Pay here. |
| Information desk | מודיעיןmodiin | Not the city. |
| Shelter | מקלטmiklat | Not the same as a ממ״ד. |
| Open or closed | פתוח / סגורpatuakh, sagur | Door status card. |
A Hebrew speaking app with Maya and David, AI tutors who hold conversations, explain corrections and help you practise what you need to say. Private beta on iPhone and Android. Public store launch is still ahead. Free Classic lessons to start, no card needed.
By the baba team. Checked on against 42 sources, mostly Israeli retailers, manufacturers and government pages, and updated . Products, labels and rules change, so check the pack or the office before you rely on a detail. Our methodology.
משוך (m'shokh) means pull. The opposite, דחוף (d'khof), means push.
Both, with different vowels. On a door, דחוף is d'khof, "push"; elsewhere the same spelling can be dakhuf, "urgent," as in מקרה דחוף.
On a sign with a pictogram, שירותים (sherutim) means restrooms or toilets. Elsewhere sherutim can mean "services," because sherutim is the plural of שירות.
The Israeli stop sign, sign 302, is a red octagon with a white hand. The sign normally does not show the word עצור.
A ממ״ד (mamad) is a protected room inside an apartment. A מקלט (miklat) is a shelter, either shared by a building or public.
What sharav, khamsin, ovekh, yoreh and malkosh mean in English.
What nahal, vadi, makhtesh and ein mean on Israeli maps and signs.
What shafan, tan, dorban and dukhifat are called in English.
What juk, yatush, akrav and pishpesh mean, and which are dangerous.