how to say “dishes” in Hebrew

כֵּלִים

The Hebrew word for dishes is כלים

.

For example:

אני לא שומע אותך, אני שוטף כלים.

I (a male) can’t hear you (a female), I’m washing (the) dishes.

But כלים means dishes only in the plural. In the singular, כלי

means vessel or tool, and is often used in conjunction with another word. For example, כלִי זמר is a musical instrument, with כלֵי זמר being musical instruments.

כלים can also refer to baggage, and in Mishnaic Hebrew, to clothing.

When referring to individual dishes, use:

צלחת

– plate

סכין

– knife

מזלג

– fork

כף

– tablespoon

כפית

– teaspoon