how to say “fun” in Hebrew slang
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/פנאן-#.m4a” /]כֵּיף, פָנׇאן
כיף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/פנאן-#.m4a” /] is the most common word Israelis use to mean fun, as in:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/פנאן-#.m4a” /]איך היה לכם בים? היה לכם כיף?
How was it (for you guys) at the beach? Was it fun (for you guys)?
כיף comes from Arabic (كيف), where it has the same meaning.
There’s another word Israelis use to describe an event or an idea as particularly enjoyable or exciting: פנאן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/פנאן-#.m4a” /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/פנאן-#.m4a” /]טיול לסיני נשמע פנאן.
A trip to Sinai sounds really fun!
פנאן too comes from Arabic (فنّان), but there it means artist. I suppose Hebrew speakers combined the excitement generated by artists (especially of the entertainer variety) with the English word fun and started using פנאן the way they do.