how to say “noon” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/צוהריים-#.m4a” /]צוֹהֳרַיִים
The Hebrew word for noon is צוהריים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/צוהריים-#.m4a” /] (according to the pre-2017 spelling, צהריים).
While אחר הצוהריים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/צוהריים-#.m4a” /] or אחרי הצוהריים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/צוהריים-#.m4a” /] means afternoon (literally, after the noon), people often abbreviate and just use צוהריים to refer to the first few hours after 12pm.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/צוהריים-#.m4a” /]הוא אמר שהוא יקפוץ לבקר בצוהריים.
He said he’d come over to visit in the (aftern)noon.
צוהריים most likely derives from צוהר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/צוהריים-#.m4a” /], a window letting in light. The יים-[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/צוהריים-#.m4a” /] ending is a dual, making the word mean something like double-light.