Hebrew Texting: Abbreviations and WhatsApp Slang

Welcome to the real Hebrew—the one Israelis actually use when texting, messaging, and communicating online. While textbooks teach you formal Hebrew, this guide reveals the shortcuts, abbreviations, and digital slang that dominate Israeli WhatsApp groups, Instagram DMs, and text messages.

From essential abbreviations like "בד"כ" to emoji combinations with hidden meanings, you'll learn to text like a native Israeli and finally understand what your Israeli friends are really saying online.

Quick Note
This guide focuses on digital Hebrew. For spoken slang, check our Modern Israeli Slang guide.

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Why Hebrew Texting is Different

Digital Communication in Israel

Key characteristics:

• 📱 WhatsApp dominates - Primary communication platform
• ⚡ Speed is key - Abbreviations everywhere
• 🇺🇸 English influence - Code-switching common
• 📝 Hebrew keyboard - Different typing patterns
• 😊 Emoji culture - Heavy emoji use

What makes Hebrew texting unique:

• Right-to-left text + left-to-right English/numbers
• Consonant-focused abbreviations
• Context-dependent meanings
• Heavy use of vowel omission

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Essential Hebrew Texting Abbreviations

Top 20 Must-Know Abbreviations

1. בד"כ (BeDeCh)

Full: בדרך כלל (Bederech klal)
Meaning: Usually, generally, typically

"אני בד"כ לא עונה אחרי 22:00"
(I usually don't answer after 10 PM)

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2. אחכ / אח"כ (AchaKa)

Full: אחר כך (Achar kach)
Meaning: Later, afterwards

"נדבר אחכ"
(Let's talk later)

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3. בס"ד (BeSeDe)

Full: בסדר גמור (Beseder gamur)
Meaning: Totally fine, perfect

"בואו ב-18:00" "בס"ד!"
(Come at 18:00. Perfect!)

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4. אנ"ש (AnaSh)

Full: אנשים (Anashim)
Meaning: People, guys

"יש אנ"ש?"
(Anyone there? / Any people?)

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5. ת"מ (TaMa)

Full: תודה מראש (Toda merosh)
Meaning: Thanks in advance

"תוכל לשלוח לי? ת"מ"
(Can you send it to me? Thanks in advance)

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6. ככ (KaKa)

Full: כל כך (Kol kach)
Meaning: So much, so very

"ככ עייף"
(So tired)

"אני ככ אוהב את זה"
(I love this so much)

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7. מח / מחר (MaCha)

Full: מחר (Machar)
Meaning: Tomorrow

"נתראה מח"
(See you tomorrow)

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8. בר"ע (BeRaA)

Full: ברוך רעך (Baruch ra'acha) Meaning: Bless you (after sneezing)

Note: Less common in digital, but good to know.

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9. ת"ר (TaRa)

Full: תודה רבה (Toda raba)
Meaning: Thanks a lot

"ת"ר על העזרה!"
(Thanks a lot for the help!)

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10. לפ / לפני (LiFnei)

Full: לפני (Lifnei)
Meaning: Before

"בוא לפ שמונה"
(Come before eight)

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Time-Related Abbreviations

בבקר → בב (BaBa) - In the morning
בערב → בע (BaE) - In the evening
בלילה → בל (BaLa) - At night
בשבוע → בש (BaSha) - This week
בסופ"ש → בסופש (BeSofSh) - On the weekend

Examples:

"נדבר בב"
(Let's talk in the morning)

"פגישה בע"
(Meeting in the evening)

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Response Abbreviations

כן → כ (Ken → K) - Yes
לא → ל (Lo → L) - No
אוקי → אק / OK - Okay
בסדר → בס (Beseder → BeS) - Okay/Fine
מעולה → מע (Meule → Me) - Excellent

Usage:

"הגעת?" "כ"
(Did you arrive? Yes)

"רוצה לבוא?" "ל"
(Want to come? No)

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WhatsApp-Specific Hebrew

Status Updates

Available/אזסח - Available
Busy/עסוק - Busy
At work/בעבודה - At work
Battery about to die/הסוללה גוססת - Battery dying
Can't talk/לא יכול לדבר - Can't talk

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Group Chat Phrases

?מי בפנים
(Mi bifnim?) - Who's in? (asking who's interested)

כולם פה?
(Kulam po?) - Everyone here?

גענג של...
(Gang shel...) - Gang of... (group of friends)

נקבע יום?
(Nikba yom?) - Should we set a date?

מי בא?
(Mi ba?) - Who's coming?

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Voice Message Culture

Common phrases about voice messages:

שלח/י הקלטה
(Shlach/Shlachi haklata) - Send a voice message

ארוך מדי לכתוב
(Aroch miday lichtov) - Too long to type

אני בדרך, אשלח הקלטה
(Ani baderech, eshlach haklata) - I'm on the way, I'll send a voice message

Cultural note: Israelis LOVE voice messages. Don't be surprised by 3-minute audio messages!

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Vowel Omission Patterns

How It Works

Hebrew texting often omits vowels (just like ancient Hebrew!):

מה קורה → מקור / מק (Ma kore → MaKor / MaK)
מה נשמע → מנשמ / מנ (Ma nishma → MaNishMa / MaN)
תודה → תד (Toda → TaD)
שלום → שלם (Shalom → ShaLoM)

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Common Vowel-Omitted Words

בואו → בו (Bo'u → Bo)
רוצה → רוצ (Rotze → RotZ)
מתי → מת (Matai → MaT)
איפה → איפ (Eifo → EiF)
למה → למ (Lama → LaM)

Example conversation:

Person A: "מת בא?"
(MaT Ba? = When are you coming?)

Person B: "בו רגע"
(Bo Rega = Coming in a moment)

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English-Hebrew Texting Mix

Code-Switching Patterns

Israelis frequently mix English and Hebrew in texts:

יאללה let's go!
OK תודה
Sorry על האיחור
Perfect! מתאים לי
OMG מה קרה?

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English Words in Hebrew Script

הי (Hi) - Hi
ביי (Bye) - Bye
אוקי (Okay) - Okay
סורי (Sorry) - Sorry
תנקס (Thanks) - Thanks
קול (Cool) - Cool
וואו (Wow) - Wow

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Transliterated Slang

LOL → חחח (ChaChaChaCha - laughter)
ROFL → מת מצחוק (Met mitzchok - dying from laughter)
OMG → אלוהים אדירים / וואלה
WTF → מה זה (Ma ze)

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Emoji Culture in Hebrew Texting

Common Emoji Meanings

😂 (Face with Tears of Joy)

Used for: Anything funny, not necessarily laughing out loud
Hebrew equivalent: חחח (ChaChaChaCha)

"ראית מה הוא אמר? 😂😂"
(Did you see what he said?)

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🙏 (Folded Hands)

Multiple meanings:

• Please (בבקשה)
• Thank you (תודה)
• I'm begging you (אני מתחנן)

"תוכל לעזור לי? 🙏"
(Can you help me?)

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💪 (Flexed Bicep)

Meanings:

• Strong/Powerful (חזק)
• You got this (יש לך)
• Well done (כל הכבוד)

"סיימת את הפרויקט! 💪"
(You finished the project!)

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❤️ (Red Heart)

Usage:

• Love (אהבה)
• Used liberally between friends
• Not necessarily romantic

"תודה חברה שלי ❤️"
(Thanks my friend)

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Israeli Emoji Combinations

🤦‍♂️ + 😂 = "איזה אידיוט" (What an idiot - about yourself)
💯 + 🔥 = "מושלם" (Perfect/Fire)
😅 + 🙏 = "סליחה בבקשה" (Sorry please)
👍 + 🙏 = "תודה" (Thanks acknowledged)

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Numbers in Hebrew Texting

Using Numbers for Letters

Some letters are replaced with similar-looking numbers:

5 = ח (Chet)
7 = ז (Zayin)
3 = ג (Gimel)
9 = ט (Tet)

Examples:

5биб (Chaviv) - Cute/Dear
7כר לי (Zachar li) - Remind me
3מור (Gomor) - Finish

Note: This is less common in Hebrew than in Arabic texting.

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Context-Dependent Abbreviations

Situational Meanings

יש (Yesh)

Full meaning: There is/There are
In texting can mean:

• "I have" (יש לי)
• "Count me in" (yes, I'm coming)
• "Agreed" (approval)

"מי בא למסיבה?" "יש!"
(Who's coming to the party? I'm in!)

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בוא (Bo)

Full meaning: Come (male singular)
In texting:

• Let's go
• Let's do it
• Come on

"בוא נתחיל"
(Let's start)

"בוא נלך"
(Let's go)

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Texting Mistakes to Avoid

Common Errors

1. Over-Formal Language

❌ Wrong: "שלום רב, אני מבקש ממך..."
✅ Right: "היי, אפשר..."

(Don't use overly formal language in casual texts)

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2. Missing Context Clues

❌ Wrong: Just "כ" (Yes) without any explanation
✅ Right: "כ, אני בא בשמונה" (Yes, I'm coming at eight)

(Provide context, don't just say yes/no)

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3. Too Many Abbreviations

❌ Wrong: "בדכ אחכ בע נפגש בסד"
✅ Right: Mix abbreviations with full words for clarity

(Don't abbreviate everything—it becomes unreadable)

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4. Ignoring Emojis

❌ Wrong: Pure text without any emojis (seems cold)
✅ Right: Add appropriate emojis to show tone

(Israelis use lots of emojis; pure text can seem unfriendly)

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Advanced Texting Patterns

Repetition for Emphasis

חחחחחחחחחחח (ChChChChCh) - Really funny
ווווואאאאו (Woooooow) - Very impressed
יאאאאאללה (Yaaaaaalla) - Come onnnn
כןןןןןןןן (Yessssss) - Emphatic yes

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Letter Doubling

אוקיייי (Okayyyy) - Okayyyy
היייייי (Heyyyy) - Heyyy
ביייייי (Byeeee) - Byeee

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Industry-Specific Texting

Tech/Startup Texting

דפלוי היום (Deploy hayom) - Deploy today
PR רדי (PR ready) - PR ready
באג קריטי (Bug kriti) - Critical bug
מרג' עכשיו (Merge achshav) - Merge now

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Military Texting

משוחרר (Meshuchrár) - Released (from service/duty)
מ.נ (M.N.) - מגן נגד (Protective gear)
ח.ג (Ch.G.) - חג (Holiday/day off)

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Regional Variations

Tel Aviv vs. Jerusalem

Tel Aviv style:

• More English mixing
• More casual/slang
• Faster, shorter

Jerusalem style:

• More traditional abbreviations
• Religious references
• Slightly more formal

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Generation Differences

Gen Z Hebrew Texting

Characteristics:

• Heavy emoji use
• English dominance
• Voice messages
• GIF reactions
• TikTok references

Examples:

"ואאאו זה vibe 💯🔥"
"slay queen 👑✨"
"זה ממש cringe 😬"

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Millennial Hebrew Texting

Characteristics:

• Balanced Hebrew-English
• Abbreviation-heavy
• Less emoji
• More text

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Practice Exercise

Translate These Real Texts

Exercise 1:

"היי! מק? רוצה לצאת הערב? תדגמ"

<details> <summary>Answer</summary> "Hey! What's up? Want to go out tonight? Let me know" </details>

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Exercise 2:

"סורי על האיחור. בדכ אני מגיע בזמן. אהי בעוד 10 דק"

<details> <summary>Answer</summary> "Sorry for being late. Usually I arrive on time. I'll be there in 10 minutes" </details>

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Exercise 3:

"ככ טוב! בס"ד! נתראה מח בע 🙏"

<details> <summary>Answer</summary> "So good! Perfect! See you tomorrow evening 🙏" </details>

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Your 14-Day Texting Challenge

Week 1: Understanding

Days 1-3: Learn top 20 abbreviations
Days 4-5: Study emoji meanings
Days 6-7: Join Hebrew WhatsApp groups (passive observation)

Week 2: Active Use

Days 8-10: Use 3 new abbreviations daily
Days 11-12: Text Israeli friends in Hebrew
Days 13-14: Full Hebrew texting day (challenge yourself!)

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Resources for Practice

Where to Practice

WhatsApp Groups:

• Hebrew learner groups
• Israeli interest groups
• Local community groups

Social Media:

• Instagram (Israeli accounts)
• Twitter/X (Israeli trends)
• Reddit (r/hebrew, r/israel)

Apps:

• Tandem (language exchange)
• HelloTalk (Hebrew chat)
• Discord Hebrew servers

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FAQs

Q: Is it rude to abbreviate everything?
A: No! Abbreviations are standard in Israeli texting. Just don't overdo it to incomprehensibility.

Q: Should I use emojis with older Israelis?
A: Yes, but moderately. Israeli boomers use emojis too, just fewer.

Q: Is it okay to mix English and Hebrew?
A: Absolutely! Code-switching is completely normal and accepted.

Q: Why do Israelis send so many voice messages?
A: Cultural preference + Hebrew keyboard can be slow. Voice is faster for complex messages.

Q: Do grammar mistakes matter in texting?
A: Not really. Native speakers make mistakes too. Communication > perfection.

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Final Thoughts

Hebrew texting is its own language—fast, efficient, and constantly evolving. Understanding abbreviations, emoji culture, and digital slang transforms you from a formal learner into someone who actually communicates like an Israeli.

Remember:

1. 📱 Start with top abbreviations - Learn the most common first
2. 😊 Embrace emoji culture - Israelis use them liberally
3. 🗣️ Mix languages freely - English-Hebrew code-switching is normal
4. ⚡ Speed over perfection - Communication beats grammar
5. 🎧 Use voice messages - When in doubt, record it

Next Steps:

Master digital Hebrew:

🗣️ Modern slang: Israeli slang 2025
💬 Conversation: 100 everyday phrases
💼 Professional: Business Hebrew guide
📚 Complete study: 6-month plan

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יאללה ביי! 😊🙏 (Yalla bye!)

Now go text your Israeli friends and impress them with your digital Hebrew skills!

Last updated: November 2025
Reviewed by: Israeli Gen Z and millennial native speakers
Next update: February 2026 with new texting trends