how to say “clown” in Hebrew

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

Since the recent cinematic version of Stephen King’s It has turned clowns into objects of fear, I feel it is my duty to bring back the genuine smile to the clown experience by teaching you the Hebrew word for it – ליצן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ליצן-1.m4a” /] – and linking you to a favorite Israeli children’s song featuring the word.

If you nevertheless wish to use ליצן with a critical connotation, here’s an example for you:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ליצן-2.m4a” /]אתה מתנהג כמו ליצן.

You’re acting like a clown. (to a male)

ליצן first appears in the Jerusalem Talmud.

Though ליצנית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ליצן-3.m4a” /] refers to a female clown, you’re more likely to hear about female clowns referred to as simply ליצן. A medical clown is ליצן רפואי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ליצן-4.m4a” /].