The language spoken in Israel is primarily Hebrew, the country's sole official language, while Arabic holds a designated "special status" and English serves as the dominant second language. Hebrew is spoken by roughly 9 million people and stands as the only dead language ever successfully revived for everyday use.
Hebrew: The National Tongue
Hebrew is the heartbeat of daily life in Israel. It is the language of road signs, school lessons, the Knesset (parliament), newspapers, pop music, and casual conversation in the street. Nearly the entire population can speak it, and for most Jewish Israelis it is a first language. What makes this ordinary fluency extraordinary is the language's history: for almost 2,000 years Hebrew survived only as a written and liturgical language, used for prayer, scripture, and scholarship rather than for buying bread or chatting with neighbors.
The transformation from a sacred script into a living spoken language is credited largely to Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who in the late 19th century insisted that a modern nation needed a modern everyday tongue. He compiled a dictionary, coined fresh vocabulary, and famously raised his own son to be the first native speaker of modern Hebrew in centuries. As Jewish immigrants arrived in the region speaking Yiddish, Russian, German, Arabic, and dozens of other languages, Hebrew became the shared common ground that bound them together.
The Status of Arabic
Arabic is the mother tongue of Israel's Arab citizens, who make up roughly one-fifth of the population. For decades Arabic was an official language alongside Hebrew, but the 2018 Nation-State Law reclassified it as a language with "special status." In practice Arabic remains highly visible: it appears on official signage, in government documents, in the courts, and across Arabic-language schools, newspapers, radio, and television. Towns and cities with large Arab populations, such as Nazareth and parts of the Galilee and Negev, conduct much of their public life in Arabic.
Because both Hebrew and Arabic are Semitic languages, they share grammatical structures and many root words, and bilingualism is common in mixed communities. This linguistic kinship means speakers of one language often find the other more approachable than an unrelated tongue.
The Hebrew Writing System
Hebrew is written using the Hebrew alphabet, an abjad of 22 consonant letters read from right to left. Like Arabic, everyday Hebrew text generally omits short vowels; readers supply them from context and familiarity. When precision matters, as in children's books, poetry, dictionaries, and religious texts, a system of dots and dashes called nikkud is added beneath and around the letters to mark vowels. Five letters take a distinct "final" form when they appear at the end of a word.
Modern Hebrew has proven remarkably adaptable. Rather than borrowing foreign words wholesale, language planners have built new terms for modern concepts, from computers to electricity to ice cream, by drawing on ancient roots and traditional word-formation patterns. This allows a language rooted in antiquity to describe smartphones and space travel with native vocabulary.
A Mosaic of Other Languages
Few small countries are as linguistically diverse as Israel, a result of waves of immigration from more than 100 nations. Some of the most widely heard languages beyond Hebrew and Arabic include:
- Russian — spoken by roughly 1 million Israelis who arrived from the former Soviet Union, supporting Russian newspapers, shops, and TV channels.
- English — not official but extremely widespread, especially among younger people, in business, tourism, and higher education.
- Amharic — brought by immigrants from Ethiopia.
- French — common among immigrants from North Africa and France.
- Yiddish — the historic language of Ashkenazi Jews, still spoken in some religious communities.
- Ladino — the Judeo-Spanish language of Sephardic Jews, now spoken by a shrinking number of elders.
This diversity makes Israel a fascinating place to listen: a single bus ride can carry conversations in four or five languages at once. For more context on the country itself, see our israel country guide.
Helpful Phrases for Visitors
Travelers will find that a handful of Hebrew words go a long way, though English is widely understood in tourist areas, hotels, and restaurants. Useful expressions include Shalom (hello, goodbye, and peace all in one), Toda (thank you), Ken and Lo (yes and no), Kama ze ole? (how much does this cost?), and Ata medaber anglit? (do you speak English?, when addressing a man). A friendly greeting in Hebrew is almost always warmly received.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hebrew the only official language of Israel?
Yes. Since the 2018 Nation-State Law, Hebrew is Israel's sole official language. Arabic, formerly co-official, now holds a defined "special status" and continues to be used in government, courts, signage, and Arab communities.
Do most Israelis speak English?
English is not an official language, but proficiency is very high, particularly among younger Israelis. It is taught in schools and used widely in business, technology, academia, and tourism, so visitors rarely struggle to communicate.
Is it true Hebrew was a dead language?
For nearly 2,000 years Hebrew was used almost exclusively for prayer, scripture, and writing rather than everyday speech. Its revival into a fully spoken national language in the late 19th and 20th centuries makes it the only such successful revival in history.
What language do Arab Israelis speak?
Arab Israelis primarily speak Arabic as their mother tongue, using it at home, in school, and in local media. Many are also fluent in Hebrew, and bilingualism is common in mixed towns and cities.