יפה

Hebrew

Root
י־פ־ה (y-p-h)
3 terms

Etymology

Cognate with Phoenician 𐤉𐤐 (yp, “proper, good”) and Ugaritic 𐎊𐎔 (yp, “dignity, honour”). Also compare Arabic وَفَى (wafā, “to fulfill, compensate fully”).

Pronunciation

• (יָפֶה, yafé):
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /jaˈfe/
• (יָפָה, yafá):
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /jaˈfa/

Adjective

יָפֶה • (yafé) (feminine יָפָה, masculine plural יָפִים, feminine plural יָפוֹת) [pattern: קָטָל]

1. beautiful, comely, fair, goodly, pleasant

   צִיּוּר יָפֶה ― tsiyúr yafé ― a beautiful painting

   יַלְדָּה יְפַת־עֵינַיִם ― yaldá y'fat-'eináyim ― a girl with beautiful eyes [literally a girl beautiful of eyes]

Adverb

יָפֶה • (yafé)

1. beautifully, nicely

   הם מנגנים בפסנתר ממש יפה.

   They play the piano really beautifully.

Derived terms

• יְפֵהפֶה
• יפה תואר / יְפֵה תֹּאַר (y'fe tó'ar)
• הִתְיַפְיֵף (hityafyéf, “to pretty up”)

Related terms

• יופי / יֹפִי

References

• H3303 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible