Animal in Hebrew is חַיָּה (ḥayyá).
It can also be said בעל חיים, בהמה, or חיתי, depending on the meaning. Below are the vowel points, how each word is said, its gender and its plural.
animal
/ˈænɪməl/ /ˈænəməl/
The stress falls on the vowel in colour.
These are the Hebrew words for animal as a noun.
organism
- חַיָּהחיהḥayyáfeminine
- בַּעַל חַיִּיםבעל חייםbáʻal ḥayyímmasculine
organism other than human
- בַּעַל חַיִּיםבעל חייםbaʻál ḥayyímmasculine
- חַיָּהחיהḥayyáfeminine
person who behaves wildly
- חַיָּהחיהḥayyáfeminine
- בְּהֵמָהבהמהbehemáfeminineIn the Hebrew dictionary
These are the Hebrew words for animal as an adjective.
of animals
- חַיָּתִיחיתיḥayyatímasculine
unhindered by social codes
- חַיָּתִיחיתיḥayyatímasculine
- בַּהֲמִיבהמיbehemímasculine
This is more about the Hebrew word חַיָּה.
- Written with vowel points
- חַיָּה
- Written without vowel points
- חיה
- Said
- ḥayyá
- Its meanings in English
- animal, feminine singular indefinite form of חַי
These English words share a Hebrew word with animal.
These words come before and after animal in the list.
These are the questions people ask about animal in Hebrew.
How do you say animal in Hebrew?
animal in Hebrew is חַיָּה, said ḥayyá. Without vowel points it is written חיה.
What are other Hebrew words for animal?
Besides חיה, animal can be said בַּעַל חַיִּים (báʻal ḥayyím), בְּהֵמָה (behemá), חַיָּתִי (ḥayyatí), or בַּהֲמִי (behemí), depending on the meaning.
Is חיה masculine or feminine?
The word חיה is feminine.
What else does חיה mean in English?
Besides animal, חיה can mean feminine singular indefinite form of חַי.
The Hebrew translations, transliterations, genders and plurals on this page are adapted from Wiktionary's entry animal and its entries for the Hebrew words, read on 5 November 2026, and are shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.