חי

Hebrew

Root
ח־י־ה (kh-y-h)
7 terms

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ḥyw (“to live”); cognate with Hebrew חַוָּה (khavá).

Compare with Arabic حَيّ (ḥayy) and Ge'ez ሐይወ (ḥäywä).

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈħajj/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈħaj/ [ˈħaːj]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈħaj/ [ˈħæːj]
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈχaj/ (West), /ˈħaj/ (East)
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈχaj/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈχaj/

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Adjective

חַי • (kháy) (feminine חַיָּה, masculine plural חַיִּים, feminine plural חַיּוֹת)

1. alive
2. living, live
3. lively

Derived terms

• חי וקיים / חַי וְקַיָּם (kháy vekayám, “alive and well”)
• כַּדּוּר חַי (kadúr khai)
• שידור חי / שִׁדּוּר חַי (shidúr kháy)

Verb

חַי • (kháy) (pa'al construction)

1. to live (to be alive, to have life)
2. to live (to have permanent residence somewhere, to inhabit, to reside)

   Synonym: גר

Conjugation

Inflection of חי

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לִחְיוֹת
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	חָיִיתִי		חָיִינוּ
	second	חָיִיתָ	חָיִית	חֲיִיתֶם	חֲיִיתֶן
	third	חַי	חייתה \ חָיְתָה	חָיוּ
present		חַי	חַיָּה	חַיִּים	חַיּוֹת
future	first	אֶחְיֶה		נִחְיֶה
	second	תִּחְיֶה	תִּחְיִי	תּחְיוּ	תִּחְיֶינָה1
	third	יִחְיֶה	תִּחְיֶה	יִחְיוּ	תִּחְיֶינָה1
imperative	positive	חֲיֵה	חֲיִי	חֲיוּ	חֲיֶינָה1
	negative	אַל + Second person future tense

¹ Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Derived terms

• דּוּ־חַי (du-khay) (amphibian)
• חַיְדַּק (khaydák) (bacteria)
• חַיְזָר (khayzár) (alien, extraterrestrial)

Related terms

• חיים

References

• H2416 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible