This is based on the belief and tradition that Hanukkah is a celebration for the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. But times are changing, even in the way the Jewish holiday of lights is celebrated and understood, and the Hanukkah spelling has gone mainstream. But if you don’t fall into the Hebrew-scholar category, what should you do? At Lila’s pre-school Hanukkah party, there were three different spellings within 10 feet of one another. Find more Hebrew words at wordhippo.com! The word “Hanukkah” is a transliterated version of the Hebrew term for the holiday, חנוכה. Whether you’re in tune with the latest spelling trend will be an entirely different story. The light miraculously burned for eight nights. Please attempt to sign up again. With both correct, and about 14 others technically correct too, rest assured that you’ve got a pretty good shot at getting the spelling right. More on Jewish holidays: Don't say 'Happy Yom Kippur': How to greet someone observing the Jewish Day of Atonement, What is Hanukkah? Happy Hanukkah. As for the spelling of the word, Hanukkah or Chanukah or Chanukkah (etc. Translation Spell check Synonyms Conjugation The celebration of Hanukkah includes a … Dictionary ... Because Hebrew and English use different alphabets and Hanukkah is a Hebrew word, expressing it in English goes beyond translation to transliteration. It follows that the transliterated word should also have one N to represent that sound. "I hope people can find meaning and inspiration in the rich story and customs of the holiday itself and use it as a means of greater interpersonal connection and sense of light in these dark times," Zietman says. Learn how to spell Hannukka (or is it Hanukah? Accordingly, Krinksy prefers to double the English K in Hanukkah. As little as about five years ago, the top spelling choice on the Internet was Chanukah. So, if you like to slightly buck the trend and go old school, Chanukah is your spelling. She prefers writing Hanukkah with an H instead of a C-H, because the latter is a more typical way to transliterate a different Hebrew letter, a Chaf. Here’s What To Know, Japanese Health Ministry Finds New COVID-19 Variant. In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" begins with the Hebrew letter Chet. Unlike translation, transliteration is when you “change (letters, words, etc.) The main complication is the first letter, which corresponds to the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet: chet (or het, or heth, or cheth; there’s no right spelling there either). "In pronunciation, like any way we approach saying a foreign word, it's nice to ask a native speaker how they pronounce it (or find it online) and try to do one's best to make the original sound.". So does this mean we can spell Hanukkah however we please? Those looking to emphasize the guttural sound of the chet will often use ch, while those looking for the closest English equivalent … Please try again later. LIST: Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Hanukkah. Hanukkah is written חנֻכה or חנוכה (Ḥǎnukkâh) in Hebrew, which does make it difficult for many languages to translate it. "This is why some say that 'Chanukah' is a traditional spelling of the word and that 'Hanukkah' came later, but is more popular today," Zietman says. Like the Chaf, though, the Chet has a throat-clearing sound that is commonly read as C-H in English, so if you weren't concerned with differentiating the Chet from the Chaf in transliteration, it makes sense you'd want to start the English-letter version of the word with a guttural C-H. Other Hanukkah traditions include eating potato pancakes called latkes and jelly donuts called sufganiyot (because they're foods fried in oil), spinning a top called a dreidel to win chocolate coins called gelt and exchanging gifts. The right way to spell Hanukkah. William J. Barber II Uses His Faith to Fight for the Poor, Why 'The Great Gatsby' Now 'Belongs to the People', Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health and more, © 2021 TIME USA, LLC. And although there are a few cases when the holiday is written with K-H, that spelling would feel “wrong” to Krinsky, because that transliteration seems further removed from the Chet letter and sound. kippah, kippa, kipa or kipah? Or Hannukah? Hanukkah 2011: Why the Holiday Is So Popular in America, Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Hanukkah. חַג חֲנוּכָּה שַׂמֵחַ or Hanukkah Sameach literally means "Happy Hanukkah" in Hebrew. “I actually can’t see any linguistic reason why there should be two Ns” Krinsky says. All Rights Reserved. Hanukkah is around the corner, and let’s be honest, you will probably not master Modern Hebrew until then (no harm in starting though! Woody Guthrie's festive songs use spellings "Hanukah Tree" and "Hanuka Gelt," while Adam Sandler calls his series of Jewish celebrity tunes "Chanukah Song." The K sound in the middle of “Hanukkah” comes from the Hebrew letter Kaf. Still, one K is acceptable because the extra K doesn't technically change the way the word sounds. How do you say happy Chanukah in Hebrew? What does Google prefer? So what is Hanukkah, and where does it come from? By signing up you are agreeing to our, 'There Is Not Some Separation Between Jesus and Justice.' As it’s written in Hebrew, Kaf has a dot called a dagesh in the center of the letter, which “in Hebrew is linguistically being doubled,” Krinsky says. Hebrew for Chanukah. Let’s see why that version is a favorite. Although “there is no actual standardized transliteration” when it comes to that letter, Krinsky has seen it commonly written with an H and in prayer books with and an H and a dot underneath it. Saying “Chag Sameach” Say “chag” for “holiday.” This is the first word of the phrase. This accounts for why there are so many spelling variants (there are more than 20). Reference Menu. As Hanukkah is spelled in Hebrew it is written as חנֻכה or חנוכה (Ḥǎnukkâh) and it is translated to mean “to dedicate”. About the Author There is no English equivalent of the chet sound, which is rendered in transliteration variously with a h, ch or kh. ), how to wish people Happy Chanukah in Hebrew, how to light the candles and say the blessings.There's also a short blurb on the story of Chanukah. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sometimes getting the proper spelling of a Hebrew word transliterated into English gets tricky, especially when far more than a trio of options prove technically correct. However, don’t forget Chanukah, the second most often used spelling and the favorite of traditionalists. So what spelling is best? This is why you get the pronunciation of “ch” in … Even in pop culture, there are a number of ways to spell it. Updated: November 28, 2017 3:47 PM ET | Originally published: December 21, 2011 4:08 PM EST, Pelosi Says House Will Impeach Trump Unless Pence Acts, What Is the Insurrection Act And Does it Give Trump the Authority to Send Military Troops Into States? Do you ever wonder how do you spell Hanukkah properly? Hanukkah, therefore, emerged as a celebration of the dedication and refurbishment of the Temple, as the word itself suggests in Hebrew. Pronounced with the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, chet, a guttural, throaty sound similar to the "ch" in Johann Brach, according to Chabad. Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important Jewish holidays and is celebrated by Jews worldwide. In Hebrew, the language from which the Jewish festival’s name originates, the word for Hanukkah is not easily transliterated into English. It's a holiday that commemorates the time when a small group of Jews called the Maccabees rose up against Greek-Syrian rulers to rededicate the Temple of Jerusalem and light its menorah for worship, which – as the story goes – had enough oil to last only a single night. Hebrew words for hanukkah include חֲנוּכָּה and חֲנוּכָּה. It's always an appropriate greeting for the holiday. If you want to fit in with the crowd, opt for the Hanukkah spelling, now the most widely used of the choices. Rabbi Ilana Zietman, community rabbi of GatherDC in Washington, D.C., a group that helps connect young people to Jewish life, tells USA TODAY that she uses Hanukkah and Chanukah interchangeably. ), back in 2005 on All Things Considered, Robert Segal reported that the main issue behind the spelling conundrum is that certain Hebrew letters simply don’t have an equivalent in English. But, everyone, including the judges, learned a little bit about why there are so many different ways to spell Hanukkah, and why Hebrew is the best way. “Chag” is … There are a few Hebrew Hanukkah greetings going around, however, they all revolve around the oldest and most popular Hanukkah greeting, which is “happy Chanukkah”. As you see throughout this site, we use “Hanukkah,” which a non-scientific study revealed conducted in 2012 found to be the second most popular way to spell the word.eJewish Philanthropy reports Each variant exists for its own reasons, and each is valid in English. In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" begins with the Hebrew letter Chet. and when it is transliterated into English it becomes Hanukkah, Chanukkah, Hanukah, and Chanukah. The difficulty begins with the very first letter of the word, which is the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet—ḥet, or chet. She grew up with both, though her organization officially uses Hanukkah. Sure, the English spelling differs from greeting card to greeting card. Hanukkah means "dedication" in Hebrew. In Hebrew, Hanukkah is pronounced with the letter “chet” so it sounds like Chanukah. Don't say 'Happy Yom Kippur': How to greet someone observing the Jewish Day of Atonement, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. How Rev. In Hebrew it is spelled חֲנֻכָּה. If you type in the aforementioned three spellings, it shows you results for "Hanukkah," a spelling that has been the most popular on the search engine for at least the past 15 years, with second-place spelling "Chanukah" significantly waning in popularity in the past five years. "Personally, I don't think it's really that big of a deal which version people use in writing," Zietman says. The answer comes down to transliteration. Just how did Hanukkah‘s spelling become so popular and oust Chanukah atop the list? With so many ways to correctly get the point of Hanukkah across, the proper spelling really turns into a matter of preference and mass appeal. Here's some Hebrew help for anyone celebrating Chanukah! Still, she sees the word written as “Channukah” every year. The name of the eight-day Jewish holiday originates in the language of Hebrew, where it's spelled as חנוכה. But, Hanukkah and Chanukah are the two versions that are most widely used and accepted. So, when the Hebrew word was transliterated in the 17th century, the ḥet became ch (Chanukah). Let’s first see what the words “happy” and “Hanukkah” are like in Hebrew: Happy = שמח = Sameach Hanukkah = חנוכה = Chanuka Or is it Chanukah? Really want to nerd out on linguistics? Rachel Bloom's "Santa Baby" parody is "Chanukah Honey" but she included other spellings of the holiday in her CW show "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," in a scene where her character Rebecca mulls over which "Happy" holiday banner is best among Chanukah, Hanukah and Hanukkah. Hanukkah is observed by lighting candles on a nine-branched candelabra called a menorah over eight nights. (MORE: Hanukkah 2011: Why the Holiday Is So Popular in America). These kids (and their rabbi) explain. And all are equally correct, though the … The confusion over the spelling comes because the name of the holiday is a Hebrew word and the English transliteration isn't totally clear. An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. In Hebrew, the N sound in Hanukkah comes from a single letter, Nun. We've heard of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, but it's not actually in the Jewish Torah. Celebrating a miracle and the ability to practice your religion, eating fried foods and winning chocolate, giving and receiving gifts: Hanukkah is a happy holiday however you spell it. matzoh, matzo or matzah? Hanukah is starting soon. Rabbi Sarah Krinsky of Adas Israel Congregation in Washington prefers the spelling that starts with an H, includes one N, adds two Ks and concludes with an H (Hanukkah). The Hebrew Hei functions very similarly to the way the English H can in that “It doesn’t change the pronunciation, like in my name Sarah,” Krinsky says. Because Hanukkah is a Hebrew word, there is no one correct way to translate the spelling of the word into English. Translations in context of "Happy Hanukkah" in English-Hebrew from Reverso Context: With the lighting of each candle. To make things more complicated, the first letter in the Hebrew version is pronounced differently in modern Hebrew than it was in classical Hebrew (2,3). Put the confusion behind you with the correct spelling and background of its origins. The K sound in the middle of “Hanukkah” comes from the Hebrew letter Kaf. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our. As little as about five years ago, the top spelling choice on the Internet was Chanukah. ).So, if you got an invite for a Hanukkah party and want to fit in, or for once impress your Jewish grandma, here are your essential phrases for this year’s Hanukkah. Again, let’s look at the way the holiday is written in Hebrew: Its final letter is a Hei. In Hebrew, it’s “חנוכה”—but since Hanukkah is a Hebrew word, and Hebrew can’t be spelled with English letters, there is no standard English spelling. The evening of Dec. 10 marks the start of Judaism's eight-night Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. You can blame it on the ch sound being similar to the H sound, making Hanukkah a bit easier for English speakers to understand the pronunciation. Hanukkah is far from the only Hebrew-origin word with a multitude of spellings: chuppah or huppah? * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. It is pronounced with a guttural sound that is similar to the /ch/ in loch. So if a Hebrew ends with the silent Hei, “why not include (a silent H) in English?” she asks. The C-H sound can be difficult for English-speakers to master. In the Hebrew language, which is the language of the bible and was spoken in ancient Palestine, Hanukkah, also spelt as Hanukah, Chanukkah, or Chanukah, means “rededication.” It has a little difference in its spells because it is translated from the Hebrew language, and in English, almost 16 different spellings are found, but the most common ones used are the ones given above. 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