how to say “neighborhood” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /]שְׁכוּנָה, רֹבַע

The Hebrew word for neighborhood is שכונה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /], as in:

הוא גר בשכונה הירושלמית מקור חיים.[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /]

He lives in the Jerusalem neighborhood Mekor Haim (Source of Life).

The root of שכונה is ש.כ.נ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /] meaning dwelling, the same as that of the word שכינה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /] – divine presence.

A synonym of שכונה is רובע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /], quarter (think Paris). You can see the root ר.ב.ע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /] in both רובע and ארבע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /] – four.

For example:

העיר העתיקה והרובע היהודי הם לא רחוקים משכונת מאה שערים.[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /]

The Old City and the Jewish Quarter are not far from the Meah Shearim (Hundred Measures) neighborhood.

Here’s a beautiful song sung by the late and great Shoshana Damari featuring the various Jerusalem neighborhoods:

שובי בת ירושלים

חג שבועות שמח![audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /]

Happy Shavuot!