how to say “calf” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שוקיים-1.m4a” /]שׁוקָיִם

In this post I’m not discussing the kind of calf that grazes – that’s an עגל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שוקיים-2.m4a” /].

Rather, I’m following yesterday’s post about the upper-body limb, moving now to the lower.

רגל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שוקיים-3.m4a” /] is the word that refers to the whole leg and foot, from the pelvis downward. But just as English designated words for the thigh and calf long before Grey’s Anatomy was published, Hebrew did long before even that.

ירך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שוקיים-4.m4a” /] means thigh with ירכיים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שוקיים-5.m4a” /] referring to a pair of them, and שוק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שוקיים-6.m4a” /] refers to a calf, שוקיים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שוקיים-1.m4a” /] to two.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שוקיים-7.m4a” /]השוקיים שלה מפותחות כי היא רוכבת על אופניים.

Her calves are developed because she rides a bike.

שוקיים are found not only on human beings, but on animals as well, so that (vegetarians, brace yourselves):

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שוקיים-8.m4a” /]הוא אוכל רק שוקיים ולא אף חלק אחר מהעוף.

He eats only drumsticks and not any other piece of the chicken.