how to say “cologne” and “perfume” in Hebrew
having trouble seeing the print?
בֹּשֶׂם
The Hebrew word for perfume is בֹּשֶׂם, going back to the Biblical word for a substance giving off a pleasant smell.
Cologne is מֵי בֹּשֶׂם (meh-ee BOH-sem), meaning pleasant-smelling water, much like the French eau de toilette. But most Israelis refer to cologne, just like perfume, as בושם.
The root of בושם is also used as a verb, in the words לְבַשֵּׂם (leh-vah-SEM) – to make someone/something smell nice, and לְהִתְבַּשֵּׂם (leh-heet-bah-SEM) – to make oneself smell nice.
For example:
הוּא הִתְבַּשֵּׂם לִקְרָאת הַפְּגִישָׁה שֶׁלּוֹ אִתָּה.
He made himself smell nice for his date with her.
Make this dose of Hebrew yours by using it in a sentence… or a Q&A of your own. You can write your sentence on the wall of our Facebook page, and we’ll correct it for you if it’s got errors.You can further build your Hebrew vocabulary with…
 |
| with a special discount for Ktzat Ivrit enthusiasts like yourself |
