how to say “luggage” in Hebrew

The baggage claim area in Ben Gurion International Airport is labeled, in Hebrew, אִסּוּף כְּבוּדָה (ee-SOOF keh-voo-DAH) – literally, gathering of luggage. This translation of the English word luggage, כבודה, comes from the ancient Hebrew word for weighty or heavy – כָּבֵד, the same root employed in the word for to honor, or to give weight to a person: לְכַבֵּד (leh-khah-BED). And it makes sense – luggage, כבודה, is often quite heavy.




Another word referring to luggage is מִטְעָן (meet-AHN). This word means, literally, that which is loaded upon something. This word is used in the context of a luggage compartment – תָּא מִטְעָן (tah meet-AHN), such the trunk of a car.


A suitcase, by contrast, is a מִזְוָדָה (meez-vah-DAH).