Uploaded December 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

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It's that time of year again when we celebrate the Jewish festival of lights! No matter how you spell it, Chanukah is here! This video introduces and explains some common Hanukkah related vocabulary and pronunciations. Lighthearted and aimed at a general audience, you can use these terms to learn more about the traditions and terminology of Judaism and specifically this festive holiday.

There are many variations of these pronunciations throughout the Jewish world, however the Modern Hebrew pronunciations are reflected in this video and suggested English pronunciations may depend on your native accent.

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Don't forget about the other videos on this channel that will help you build confidence when speaking Hebrew. There's a whole playlist right here! youtube.com/watch?v=GSYubVq8BuY&list=PLfwqVVFqlT1v0tS9hhTg7kL1cUVyO4oFY

List of words mentioned in the video with Hebrew translation and phonetic transliteration:

Hanukkah – חנוכה – KHA-noo-kah
Menorah – מנורה – kha-noo-kee-YAH
Shamash – שמש – sha-MAHSH
Latkes – לביבות – le-vee-VOHT
Donuts – סופגניות – soof-gah-NYOHT
Dreidel – סביבון – se-vee-VOHN

A great miracle happened there
– נס גדול היה שם – NESS gah-DOHL ha-YAH SHAHM
A great miracle happened here
– נס גדול היה פה – NESS gah-DOHL ha-YAH POH

Happy Hanukkah – חג חנוכה שמח – KHAG KHAnookah sah-MAY-akh

Happy Hanukkah!