ניו־יאָרק
Nyu-york
New York
Usage
The biggest city in the United States and one of the places where most everyday Yiddish speakers live. You will see the Hebrew-letter spelling on signs and in bookshops
Grammar Note
"To New York" is "קיין ניו־יאָרק" and "in New York" is "אין ניו־יאָרק". The hyphen is the Hebrew maqaf "־"
ברוקלין
Bruklin
Brooklyn
Usage
A borough of New York City with large Hasidic Jewish communities, where Yiddish is heard on the street
Grammar Note
"In Brooklyn" is "אין ברוקלין". It is written in Yiddish spelling, not English spelling
וויליאַמסבורג
Viliamsburg
Williamsburg
Usage
A neighborhood in Brooklyn where Hasidic communities are concentrated. Dress modestly and ask before taking photos of people
Grammar Note
"To Williamsburg" is "קיין וויליאַמסבורג". The initial "וו" (double vav) stands for /v/
באָסטאָן
Boston
Boston
Usage
A large city on the US East Coast with a sizeable Jewish population
Grammar Note
"To go to Boston" is "פֿאָרן קיין באָסטאָן". The letter "אָ" is /o/, so the name reads "Bo-ston"
שיקאַגאָ
Shikago
Chicago
Usage
A big city in the US Midwest. In Yiddish it begins with the sh sound, written "שיקאַגאָ"
Grammar Note
"To Chicago" is "קיין שיקאַגאָ". "ש" is sh, "אַ" is /a/ and "אָ" is /o/
טאָראָנטאָ
Toronto
Toronto
Usage
The largest city in Canada and one of the North American cities with a big Jewish population
Grammar Note
"In Toronto" is "אין טאָראָנטאָ". This is a foreign place name, so every "o" is written with "אָ"
מאָנטרעאָל
Montreol
Montreal
Usage
A large French-speaking city in Canada with a sizeable Jewish population
Grammar Note
"In Montreal" is "אין מאָנטרעאָל". A second spelling "מאָנטרעאַל" also exists, so the ending appears as both "אָל" and "אַל"
ירושלים
Yerusholayem
Jerusalem
Usage
The holy city of Judaism. The name comes from Hebrew and is written as in Hebrew, without vowel points
Grammar Note
It is pronounced roughly "yer-u-sho-LA-yem", not like modern Hebrew. "To Jerusalem" is "קיין ירושלים"
תּל־אָבֿיבֿ
Tel-Aviv
Tel Aviv
Usage
A large coastal city in Israel. The name is Hebrew, but it is written with a dot in the tav and a rafe on the bet
Grammar Note
"Born in Tel Aviv" is "געבוירן אין תּל־אָבֿיבֿ". The line over "בֿ" marks the v sound
חיפֿה
Kheyfe
Haifa
Usage
A port city in northern Israel. In Yiddish it is pronounced roughly "KHAY-fe"
Grammar Note
"From Haifa" is "פֿון חיפֿה". The first letter "ח" is kh, a throaty fricative
וואַרשע
Varshe
Warsaw
Usage
The capital of Poland. Before the war it had a very large Jewish population and was a center of Yiddish publishing and theater
Grammar Note
"Warsaw is the capital of Poland" is "וואַרשע איז די הויפּטשטאָט פֿון פּוילן". The name comes from Polish Warszawa
ווילנע
Vilne
Vilna (Vilnius)
Usage
The Yiddish name of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Called the "Jerusalem of Lithuania", it is where the YIVO institute began
Grammar Note
"The capital of Lithuania is Vilna" is "די הויפּטשטאָט פֿון ליטע איז ווילנע". The name differs from the local and English Vilnius
קראָקע
Kroke
Kraków
Usage
The Yiddish name of the old Polish city of Kraków. It has the Jewish quarter Kazimierz, a popular spot for Jewish heritage
Grammar Note
"In Kraków" is "אין קראָקע". The Yiddish form is quite different from Polish Kraków
לאָדזש
Lodzh
Łódź
Usage
The Yiddish name of Łódź, an industrial city in central Poland. It was a textile town with a big Jewish population before the war
Grammar Note
The ending "דזש" stands for dzh, like English j. "In Łódź" is "אין לאָדזש"
לעמבערג
Lemberg
Lviv (Lemberg)
Usage
The Yiddish name of Lviv in western Ukraine, a leading city of the old Galicia region
Grammar Note
It has the same form as the German name Lemberg; in Ukraine today it is written Lviv. "To Lviv" is "קיין לעמבערג"
קיִעוו
Kiyev
Kyiv (Kiev)
Usage
The Yiddish name of the capital of Ukraine, based on the Russian name; it differs from the current official spelling Kyiv
Grammar Note
"To Kyiv" is "קיין קיִעוו" and "in Kyiv" is "אין קיִעוו". The yud with hiriq in "קיִ" keeps the vowels apart
מאָסקווע
Moskve
Moscow
Usage
The capital of Russia. The Yiddish form is close to the Russian name but ends in "ע"
Grammar Note
"To Moscow" is "קיין מאָסקווע" and "in Moscow" is "אין מאָסקווע". The double vav "וו" is a v sound
פּראַג
Prag
Prague
Usage
The capital of the Czech Republic. The old Jewish Quarter with its synagogues and old cemetery is a popular visit
Grammar Note
"To Prague" is "קיין פּראַג". The dot in "פּ" marks p (without it the letter is f)
בודאַפּעשט
Budapesht
Budapest
Usage
The capital of Hungary on the Danube, with a large synagogue and many Jewish heritage sites
Grammar Note
"To Budapest" is "קיין בודאַפּעשט". The ending is the sht sound, close to "Budapesht"
ווין
Vin
Vienna
Usage
The capital of Austria. The short name is close to German Wien but is read "Vin" in Yiddish
Grammar Note
"In Vienna" is "אין ווין". The initial "וו" is v and the "י" is a short i
בערלין
Berlin
Berlin
Usage
The capital of Germany. The name is the same as in German, but every vowel is spelled with Hebrew letters
Grammar Note
"Are you in Berlin?" is "זענט איר אין בערלין?". The letter "ע" is a short e
אַמסטערדאַם
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Usage
The capital of the Netherlands, a city with a long Jewish history and a Jewish museum
Grammar Note
"In Amsterdam" is "אין אַמסטערדאַם". The initial "אַ" is the a sound
לאָנדאָן
London
London
Usage
The capital of the UK. Hasidic communities, for example in Stamford Hill in the north, keep Yiddish alive
Grammar Note
"How far is London?" is "ווי ווײַט איז לאָנדאָן?". The "ײַ" in "ווײַט" is the ay sound
פּאַריז
Pariz
Paris
Usage
The capital of France. In Yiddish the name ends in "ז" and is read "Pariz"
Grammar Note
"Paris is very beautiful" is "פּאַריז איז זייער שיין". A variant spelling "פּאַריס" also exists
More Yiddish phrases
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