חן

Hebrew

Root
ח־נ־ן (kh-n-n)
6 terms

Pronunciation

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Noun

חֵן • (chén) m (plural indefinite חינים / חִנִּים or חינות / חִנּוֹת, singular construct חֵן־, plural construct חיני / חִנֵּי־ or חינות / חִנּוֹת־) [pattern: קֵטֶל]

1. charm, grace, likeability
   • Tanach, Exodus 3:21, with translation of the King James Version:

     וְנָתַתִּי אֶת חֵן הָעָם הַזֶּה בְּעֵינֵי מִצְרָיִם וְהָיָה כִּי תֵלֵכוּן לֹא תֵלְכוּ רֵיקָם

     v'natatí ét chén haám hazé b'ené mitsráyim v'hayá kí telechún ló tel'chú rekám

     And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty

Usage notes

In Modern Hebrew, this word is often used in the expression מָצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי (matsá khén b'einéi, literally “to find likeability in the eyes of”).

Declension

Declension of חֵן

	isolated forms		with possessive pronouns
Number:	State:	form	Person:	singular		plural
				m	f	m	f
singular	indefinite	חֵן	first	חיני / חִנִּי		חיננו / חִנֵּנוּ
	definite	הַחֵן	second	חינך / חִנְּךָ	חינך / חִנֵּךְ	חינכם / חִנְּכֶם	חינכן / חִנְּכֶן
	construct	חֵן־	third	חינו / חִנּוֹ	חינה / חִנָּהּ	חינם / חִנָּם	חינן / חִנָּן

Derived terms

• אבן חן
• חן חן
• מצא חן בעיני

Proper noun

חֵן • (chén) m or f [pattern: קֵטֶל]

1. a male or female given name

References

• H2580 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• "חן" in the Noun Declension Tables of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Yiddish

Etymology

From Hebrew חֵן.

Pronunciation

• (Northeastern, Southeastern) IPA^(key): [χɛɪ̯n]
• (Mideastern) IPA^(key): [χaɪ̯n]

Noun

חן • (kheyn) m, plural חנען (kheynen)

1. grace, charm, appeal

Derived terms

• חנעוודיק (kheynevdik)
• האָבן דעם זיבעטן חן (hobn dem zibetn kheyn)
• געפֿינען חן בײַ (gefinen kheyn bay)
• מאַכן חן (makhn kheyn)

References

• Steven A. Jacobson (1998), A Guide to the More Common Hebraic Words in Yiddish, 5th edition, Fairbanks, AK: National Yiddish Book Center, →ISBN, page 70