how to say “crowns” (for your teeth) in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כתרים-1.m4a” /]כְּתָרִים

Since my genes are on my side as far as visits to the dentist go, I had to use Google Images to make sure that tooth crowns actually existed. I imagined them as gold and silver tooth encasements, but it turns out that such shiny conspicuous pieces are found mostly in the mouths of children, at least in the West.

In any case, כתרים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כתרים-1.m4a” /] are such dental crowns regardless of the material they’re made of, while כתר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כתרים-2.m4a” /] is a single crown.

For example, a child might boast:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כתרים-3.m4a” /]יש לי כתרים בשיניים!

I have crowns in my teeth!

This child might emphasize that these crowns are in his/her mouth, since כתר also refers to the crown found on the head of a monarch. In fact, this is the original meaning of כתר and its plural כתרים.

If you google מלך בלי כתר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כתרים-4.m4a” /], you’ll find its translation, Matisyahu’s song King Without a Crown.