In Hebrew, you can say “good morning” by saying “boker tov,” which means “good morning.” Alternatively, you can also say “shacharit tov,” which means “good morning” and specifically refers to the morning prayers that are a part of the daily Jewish liturgy.

Here are a few more phrases that you might find helpful:

• “Shalom” – hello/peace
• “Erev tov” – good evening
• “Toda” – thank you
• “Lo yoda’at” – you’re welcome
• “Ani ohev otach” – I love you (to a male)
• “Ani ohevet otcha” – I love you (to a female)
• “Kol tuv” – all the best
• “Lehitraot” – see you later
• “B’seder” – okay/all right

‘Good Morning’ is one of the easiest greetings to say. It rolls off the tongue and can sometimes feel as though it’s the only way to greet a person in the morning. Of course, with the presence of hundreds and even thousands of different languages across the world, there definitely are alternative ways of wishing someone a good morning.

One of these languages is Hebrew. Many people shy away from learning Hebrew as it has the reputation of being incredibly complex. Yes, you do read Hebrew from right to left, and its alphabet can be daunting.

However, some really simple and easy phrases you can learn to dip your toe in the waters of understanding Hebrew. One of these phrases is the translation for ‘Good Morning.’

Boker Tov

Boker Tov (בּוֹקֶר טוֹב) is the phrase used to greet someone in the morning. It can be used to replace the typically Hebrew greeting known as Shalom (שלום) or Ahlan (אהלן). This phrase is offered to anyone that you come across during the morning hours. There isn’t much significance to the phrase ‘Boker Tov.’

Many people who speak Hebrew believe it just to be used as another greeting, which is strange considering that many ordinary words have a direct translation that’s quite uplifting. However, this article isn’t without displaying one of these phrases. Continue reading to find out more.

The Response to Boker Tov

After someone has said Boker Tov, you may want to reply to them. It would only seem right as someone has just wished you a good morning; you might as well wish them back, right?

That’s when many people begin to ask how you respond to Boker Tov. Surely, it’s the same in English. If someone says ‘good morning,’ you’re going to respond by saying ‘good morning’ as well.

However, this isn’t necessarily the same in Hebrew. Of course, responding back by saying ‘Boker Tov’ might be ‘correct,’ but it isn’t the way to go. When greeting someone by saying ‘Boker Tov,’ you’re likely going to hear ‘Boker Or’ as a response.

Boker Or

Boker Or is the common response that people say when someone has said Boker Tov. This phrase is one that we were referring to earlier in this article, as its translation is quite uplifting. Yes, the general meaning of Boker Or is to wish someone a good morning.

However, the direct translation is ‘Morning of Light.’ Thus, when you’re saying Boker Or, you’re actually wishing someone a morning of light. Isn’t that a beautiful way to greet someone in the morning? It’s a beautiful start to the day and a lovely way to wish a person as they begin their day.

Where Would You Encounter this Greeting?

Hebrew is a very specific language that can be predominantly found in a country called Israel. This is where you’re going to encounter such a greeting. The Israelis are known to be very welcoming to foreigners and love to greet you in their language. Thus, if you’re planning to go to Israel anytime soon, this would be a good phrase to remember because you’re likely going to encounter it a lot.

The Origins of Hebrew

Hebrew is categorized as being a Northwest Semitic language that’s native to Israel. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than nine million people across the world. Historically speaking, Hebrew is known as the language of the Judeans, Israelites, as well as their ancestors.

However, the language wasn’t called ‘Hebrew.’ Instead, the Mishnah Magillah (the tenth Tractate of Mishnah found in the Order Moed) Ties the Hebrew language to Ashurit, which means Assyrian (a Mesopotamian kingdom) and works as a metonym.

The earliest recorded examples where Paleo-Hebrew have been used date back to the 10^th century BC. Additionally, Hebrew forms part of the Afroasiatic language family’s Northwest Semitic branch and is the only remaining Canaanite language that’s still being spoken today.

Moreover, it’s one of the two Northwest Semitic languages that are still being spoken. The second is Aramaic, which is predominantly being spoken by Syriac-Arameans, Christian Assyrians, Gnostic Mandeans, along with a few Near Eastern Jews.

With all that being said, Hebrew ceased being an everyday spoken language between 200 and 400 CE. It began decreasing as a result of the Bar Kokhba revolt.