he

== Translingual == === Etymology === Clipping of English Hebrew. === Symbol === he (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Hebrew. === See also === Wiktionary’s coverage of Hebrew terms == English == === Alternative forms === hee, hée (obsolete) === Etymology 1 === From Middle English he, from Old English hē, from Proto-West Germanic *hiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hiz (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱís (“this”). Cognate with Scots he (“he”), North Frisian he, hi (“he”), Saterland Frisian hie (“he”), West Frisian hy (“he”), Dutch hij, ie (“he”), German Low German he (“he”), Middle High German her (“he”) Central Franconian hä (“he”), Gothic *𐌷𐌹𐍃 (*his, “this”). ==== Pronunciation ==== enPR: hē, IPA(key): /ˈhiː/ (Received Pronunciation, Canada) IPA(key): [hiː] (Standard Southern British, Australian, Southern US) IPA(key): [hɪj] (US) IPA(key): [hi(ː)], [çi(ː)] (unstressed form) IPA(key): /(h)i/, /(h)ɪ/ Rhymes: -iː ==== Pronoun ==== he (third-person singular, masculine, nominative case, oblique him, reflexive himself, possessive his) (personal) A person who identifies as male, or animal already known or implied. July 18 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Dark Knight Rises[2] Though Bane’s sing-song voice gives his pronouncements a funny lilt, he doesn’t have any of the Joker’s deranged wit, and Nolan isn’t interested in undercutting his seriousness for the sake of a breezier entertainment. For more quotations using this term, see Citations:he. (personal, sometimes proscribed, see usage notes) They; he or she (a person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant). (personal, sometimes proscribed) It; an animal whose gender is unknown. A genderless object regarded as masculine, such as certain stars or planets (e.g. Sun, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter) or certain ships. Antonyms: she, it ===== Usage notes ===== He was traditionally used as both a masculine and a gender-neutral pronoun, but since the mid-20th century generic usage has sometimes been considered sexist and limiting. It is deprecated by some style guides, such as Wadsworth. In place of generic he, writers and speakers may use he or she, alternate he and she as the indefinite person, use the singular they, or rephrase sentences to use plural they. ===== Synonyms ===== (person whose gender is unknown): one, you (indefinite, colloquial); he or she, he/she, they, s/he, or these other third-person pronouns (see "Combined forms", "Invented pronouns") (animal whose gender is unknown): it ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ===== See also ===== ===== References ===== ==== Determiner ==== he (African-American Vernacular) Synonym of his. ==== Noun ==== he (countable and uncountable, plural hes) (uncountable) The game of tag, or it, in which the player attempting to catch the others is called "he". The player who chases and attempts to catch the others in this game. (informal) A male. === Etymology 2 === Transliteration of various Semitic letters, such as Phoenician 𐤄 (h), Hebrew ה (h), Classical Syriac ܗ (h, “hē”), and Old South Arabian 𐩠 (h). ==== Alternative forms ==== hay hei hey ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /heɪ/ ==== Noun ==== he The name of the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others). The name of the first letter of the Old South Arabian abjad. ===== Translations ===== ==== See also ==== Appendix:Hebrew alphabet ==== Further reading ==== He (letter) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Etymology 3 === ==== Interjection ==== he (uncommon, usually reduplicated) An expression of laughter. Synonyms: ha, hehe (more common) === Anagrams === -eh, E.H., EH, eH, eh == Achang == === Pronunciation === (Myanmar) /hɛ˧/ === Verb === he to deny to disown === Further reading === Inglis, Douglas; Sampu, Nasaw; Jaseng, Wilai; Jana, Thocha (2005), A preliminary Ngochang–Kachin–English Lexicon‎[3], Payap University, page 42 == Akan == === Adverb === he where Ɔte he? ― Where does she/he live? == Aukan == === Etymology === (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) === Noun === he paca (large South and Central American rodent) === References === Aukan-English Dictionary (SIL), citing Vernon (1985) == Breton == === Etymology === Compare Welsh ei. === Determiner === he (requires spirant mutation) her he zad ― her father == Catalan == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern) [ˈe̞] IPA(key): (Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈe] Rhymes: -e === Etymology 1 === ==== Noun ==== he f (plural hes) he (fifth letter of various Semitic alphabets) === Etymology 2 === ==== Alternative forms ==== haig ==== Verb ==== he first-person singular present indicative of haver == Classical Nahuatl == === Etymology === A natural expression. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [é] === Interjection === he an expression of physical pain; ouch. === References === Alonso de Molina (1571), Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, Editorial Porrúa, page 22r == Danish == === Interjection === he (onomatopoeia) Signifies a laugh, especially one that is slightly mischievous. === See also === ha == Dutch == === Interjection === he misspelling of hè misspelling of hé == Esperanto == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /he/ Rhymes: -e Syllabification: he === Interjection === he interjection used to attract someone's attention, hey interjection expressing irony ==== Derived terms ==== he ho === See also === hej === Further reading === “he”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN “he”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026 == Fasu == === Noun === hẹ or hȩ́ (Fasu) water river he Aiyo ― the River Aiyo lake he Kutupu ― Lake Kutubu liquid ==== Synonyms ==== hi (Namumi) === References === Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67 Eunice Loeweke, Jean May, General grammar of Fasu (Namo Me) (1980) Eunice Loeweke, Jean May, Fasu Namo Me dictionary (1981, digitized 2006) == Finnish == === Etymology 1 === From Proto-Finnic *hek, from Proto-Finno-Permic *sej (compare Northern Sami sii, Erzya сынь (sïń), Northern Khanty [script needed] (ᴧĭw)). The word is inflected as plural, but there is no plural marker in the nominative, except in dialects (het). See hän for more details on history of usage. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈhe/, [ˈhe̞] Rhymes: -e Syllabification(key): he Hyphenation(key): he ==== Pronoun ==== he (personal) they (plural, only of people) (respectful) he, she, one, (singular) they (of a single human being, like hän) they (in indirect speech: referring to the subjects of the main clause, regardless of whether they are human beings or not, i.e. logophoric pronoun) ===== Usage notes ===== In standard Finnish, he is practically never omitted, despite the verb showing both the person and the number (compare the usage of hän). ===== Declension ===== Irregular (inflectional stem hei-, as if in the plural). The comitative and instructive forms don't exist; the abessive is hardly used. In addition to the standard set of cases, he and other personal pronouns have a specific accusative form, heidät. ===== Synonyms ===== (dialectal): het (dialectal): hyö (colloquial): ne ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== Kven: het ==== See also ==== ==== Further reading ==== “1. he”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 9 October 2024 === Etymology 2 === From Phoenician 𐤄 (h) and/or Biblical Hebrew ה. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈhe(ː)/, [ˈhe̞(ː)] Rhymes: -e Syllabification(key): he Hyphenation(key): he ==== Noun ==== he he (fifth letter of the Hebrew and Phoenician scripts and the Northwest Semitic abjad) ===== Declension ===== == German == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /he/, /heː/ === Interjection === he (informal) An exclamation to get attention; hey Expresses protest or reprimand; hey Reinforces a question; huh ==== Related terms ==== heda === Further reading === “he”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎[5] (in German) “he” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon “he” in Duden online == Gullah == === Alternative forms === e === Etymology === From Vai [script needed] (he) ("all right") and Yoruba he ("yes"). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /hɛ̃˦˨/ === Interjection === he yes ==== Usage notes ==== This interjection is often tonalized as a falling tone. === References === Lorenzo Dow Turner, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect (1969) == Hadza == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɦe/ === Verb === he to say, to tell Synonyms: î, hiyagga == Hawaiian == === Etymology === (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /he/ === Article === he (indefinite) a, an == Ido == === Etymology === From h +‎ -e. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /he/, /hɛ/ === Noun === he (plural be-i) The name of the Latin script letter H/h. === See also === Latin script letter names: literi: a · be · ce · che · de · e · fe · ge · he · i · je · ke · le · me · ne · o · pe · que · re · se · she · te · u · ve · we · xe · ye · ze [edit] == Japanese == === Romanization === he The hiragana syllable へ (he) or the katakana syllable ヘ (he) in Hepburn romanization. == Kholosi == === Etymology === Cognate with Sindhi ھِي (hī, “this”). === Pronoun === he it (proximal) === References === Eric Anonby; Hassan Mohebi Bahmani (2014), “Shipwrecked and Landlocked: Kholosi, an Indo-Aryan Language in South-west Iran”, in Cahier de Studia Iranica xx‎[6], pages 13-36 == Kikuyu == === Etymology === Hinde (1904) records kuha as an equivalent of English give in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu, listing also Swahili kupa, etc. as its equivalents. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /hɛ/ === Verb === he (infinitive kũhe) to give ==== Derived terms ==== (Proverbs) mwana ndaheanagwo ==== Related terms ==== (Nouns) kĩhe(e)o class 7 maheeo class 6 === References === Armstrong, Lilias E. (1940). The Phonetic and Tonal Structure of Kikuyu, p. 361. Rep. 1967. (Also in 2018 by Routledge). == Lakota == === Particle === he question-marking particle used by females in formal speech Mázaškaŋškaŋ tóna he? ― what time is it? ==== Usage notes ==== Informally, both men and women use this question-marking particle. When speaking formally, however, only women use it. In a formal setting, men use huwó, hwo, or huŋwó. ==== Synonyms ==== huwó (used by men) == Low German == === Alternative forms === e hee (in other dialects, including Mecklenburgisch, West Pomeranian and Low Prussian) hei (in other dialects, including Sauerländisch) hai (in other dialects, including regional Westphalian and East Frisian as rare alternative form) hä === Etymology === From Middle Low German hê, from Old Saxon hē, from Proto-West Germanic *hiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hiz (“this, this one”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /hɛɪ̯/ === Pronoun === he m (genitive sin, dative 1 em, dative 2 en, dative 3 jüm, accusative 1 em, accusative 2 en) (German Low German) (in some dialects, including, Münsterland, Mecklenburgish-Western Pomeranian and Low Prussian, personal) he (third-person singular masculine pronoun) ==== Usage notes ==== Which dative is employed depends on dialect, not on function. Some dialects might consider any of the inflected forms obsolete. === Further reading === G. Ungt, Twee Geschichten in Mönstersk Platt. Ollmanns Jans in de Friümde un Ollmanns Jans up de Reise, 1861. The text has dative em and accusative em and en, and on page 22 the author notes: "Hier und in vielen Fällen steht der Dativ em statt des Accusativ en (ihm statt ihn) nach der Bequemlichkeit, die sich diese Mundart erlaubt." (Here and in many other places stands the dative em instead of the accusative en ...) == Mandarin == === Romanization === he (he5 / he0, Zhuyin ˙ㄏㄜ) Hanyu Pinyin reading of 荷 he nonstandard spelling of hē nonstandard spelling of hé nonstandard spelling of hě nonstandard spelling of hè ==== Usage notes ==== Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone. == Māori == === Etymology === Cognate with Hawaiian he. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈhe/ [ˈhɛ] === Article === he a, an, some: indefinite article === See also === te (for "the" in singular) ngā (for "the" in plural) == Middle English == === Etymology 1 === From Old English hē, from Proto-West Germanic *hiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hiz (“this, this one”). ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /heː/ ==== Pronoun ==== he (accusative him or hine, genitive his or hisen, possessive determiner his) Third-person singular masculine pronoun: he 14th century, Chaucer, General Prologue: it; used also of inanimate objects (impersonal) Third-person singular impersonal pronoun: one; you ===== Usage notes ===== In addition to referring to male humans and animals, this pronoun was used for inanimate objects belonging to the masculine grammatical gender early in Middle English. As grammatical gender obsolesced, this pronoun continued to refer to inanimate objects. ===== Alternative forms ===== hee, ȝe, e, hey, hi, hie, hye, heo, ho, hæ, ha, a ===== Descendants ===== English: he Scots: he Yola: hea, he, hey, hay ===== See also ===== ==== References ==== “hẹ̄, pron.(1)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007. === Etymology 2 === From Old English hīe, hī. Compare þei. ==== Pronoun ==== he (accusative hem or he, genitive heres or heren, possessive determiner here) Third-person plural nominative pronoun: they Third-person plural accusative pronoun: them ===== Alternative forms ===== heo, heȝ, hey, hei, ha, hay, hy, hi, hye, hie, hig, hiȝ, hij, hio, ho, hoe, hue, huy, hui, e, i, a ===== Descendants ===== Yola: hi, h' ===== See also ===== ===== References ===== “he, pron.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007. === Etymology 3 === ==== Pronoun ==== he alternative form of heo (“she”) === Etymology 4 === ==== Interjection ==== he alternative form of hey (“hey”) === Etymology 5 === ==== Noun ==== he alternative form of heye (“hedge”) === Etymology 6 === ==== Adjective ==== he alternative form of heigh (“high”) === Etymology 7 === ==== Verb ==== he alternative form of hyen (“to go quickly”) == Middle Low German == === Etymology === From Old Saxon hē. === Pronunciation === Stem vowel: ê⁴ (originally) IPA(key): /heː/ === Pronoun === hê (third person singular masculine nominative) he ==== Declension ==== == North Frisian == === Pronoun === he alternative form of hi == Norwegian Nynorsk == === Verb === he (dialectal, Trøndelag) alternative form of hev (“have, has”) E he ei bok om føgla. He hann løst å kjøp ho? I have a book about birds. Does he want to buy it? (literally "does he have desire to by her?") == Nǀuu == === Pronunciation === (Western) IPA(key): /ɦe/ === Pronoun === he (Western) singular relative pronoun; that, who, what ==== Synonyms ==== ha (Eastern) ne, ne === References === Sands, Bonny & Jones, Kerry & Esau, Katrina & Collins, Chris & Witzlack-Makarevich, Alena & Job, Sylvanus & Miller, Amanda & Steyn, Betta & Zaanen, Menno & Namaseb, Levi & Berg, Dietloff & Mantzel, Dotty & Damarah, Willem & Snyman, Claudia & Wyk, David & Brugman, Johanna & Exter, Mats & Vaalbooi, Antjie & Westhuizen, Mietjie. (2022). Nǀuuki Namagowab Afrikaans English ǂXoakiǂxanisi/Mîdi di ǂKhanis/Woordeboek/Dictionary Collins, C., & Namaseb, L. (2011). A Grammatical Sketch of N|uuki with Stories. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. == Old English == === Etymology === From Proto-West Germanic *hiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hiz (“this, this one”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /xeː/, [heː] Rhymes: -eː === Pronoun === hē m (accusative hine, genitive his, dative him) he it (when the thing being referred to is masculine) they (singular) (denotes someone of unknown gender) ==== Declension ==== ==== Descendants ==== Middle English: he, hee, ȝe, e, hey, hi, hie, hye, heo, ho, hæ, ha, aEnglish: heScots: heYola: hea, he, hey, hay === References === Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “hē”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press. == Old Irish == === Pronoun === he (emphatic hesom) alternative spelling of é == Old Saxon == === Alternative forms === hie === Etymology === From Proto-West Germanic *hiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hiz. === Pronoun === hē m he ==== Declension ==== ==== Descendants ==== German Low German: he == Pacoh == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [hɛː] === Pronoun === he we (first person plural pronoun) ==== See also ==== == Polish == === Etymology === Onomatopoeic. === Pronunciation === (Masovia): (Near Masovian) IPA(key): [ˈxɛ] === Interjection === he (Near Masovian, often repeated) used to direct oxen to move forward Coordinate terms: byś, eć, kse === Further reading === Władysław Matlakowski (1891), “he”, in “Zbiór wyrazów ludowych dawnej ziemi czerskiej”, in Sprawozdania Komisyi Językowej Akademii Umiejętności‎[8], volume 4, Krakow: Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, page 372 == Portuguese == === Verb === he obsolete spelling of é == Romanian == === Interjection === he alternative form of hei == Scots == === Etymology === From Middle English he, from Old English hē. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /hi/, /hɪ/ Rhymes: -iː === Pronoun === he (third-person singular, masculine, nominative case; accusative him, reflexive himsel, possessive his) he == Spanish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈe/ [ˈe] Rhymes: -e Syllabification: he Homophones: hé, e === Etymology 1 === From Old Spanish fe, from Arabic هَا (hā, dialectally hê). The alternative forms may reflect a reanalysis of he as a verb form, which could then be pluralized heis (cf. veis ‘you see’). Compare Galician eis, Portuguese eis < Old Galician-Portuguese ei. ==== Alternative forms ==== heis, hes (obsolete) ==== Adverb ==== he (literary) here is [with (suffixed) accusative or aquí or ahí or allí] (literary) behold (+ aquí) ===== Usage notes ===== Takes pronoun suffixes, e.g. heme (“here I am”), and is mostly used together with aquí, ahí, allí. ===== Derived terms ===== ==== References ==== Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José Antonio (1984), “he”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic etymological dictionary]‎[9] (in Spanish), volume III (G–Ma), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 335 “he”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== he f (plural hes) he; the Hebrew letter ה === Etymology 3 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Verb ==== he inflection of haber: first-person singular present indicative second-person singular imperative second-person singular voseo imperative === Etymology 4 === ==== Interjection ==== he (obsolete) hey ===== Usage notes ===== Its usage as an imperative for tú for the verb haber is practically nonexistent in modern Spanish. The use of this word as an imperative for tú is unrelated to its use as an adverb pointing to adverbs of place and pronouns. Although morphologically it is an irregular imperative, it is not considered part of the traditional irregular imperatives of Spanish. There is another form for the imperative for tú of haber, habe, which is completely regular, but it's also obsolete. The RAE does not list habé for the imperative for vos in the conjugation tables and in the paradigm of verbal inflection of this verb. == Swedish == === Alternative forms === hä === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /heː/ === Etymology 1 === Related to häva. ==== Verb ==== he (present her, preterite hedde, supine hett, imperative he) (regional, colloquial, northern) to put Synonym: (Hälsingland region) häva ===== Usage notes ===== Not widely known to native Swedish speakers. Primarily used in certain regions of Norrland in Sweden. ===== Conjugation ===== === Etymology 2 === ==== Pronoun ==== he n (regional, Northern Sweden, Ostrobothnia) it ===== Usage notes ===== In Sweden, primarily used in parts of Norrland (from northern Hälsingland and northward). In Finland, used in the northern part of Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia. === See also === det == Tagalog == === Pronunciation === (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈhe/ [ˈhɛ] Rhymes: -e Syllabification: he === Etymology 1 === ==== Interjection ==== he! (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜒ) alternative form of tse === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== he (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜒ) (historical) alternative spelling of ge === Anagrams === eh == Tokelauan == === Etymology === From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *se. Cognates include Hawaiian he and Māori he. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [he] Hyphenation: he === Article === he Singular indefinite article; any, an ==== Derived terms ==== ==== See also ==== === References === R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎[10], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 304 == Turkish == === Etymology 1 === ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /he/ ==== Noun ==== he (definite accusative heyi, plural heler) The name of the Latin script letter H/h. ===== See also ===== (Latin-script letter names) harf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, fe, ge, yumuşak ge, he, ı, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, ö, pe, re, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye, ze === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== he Letter of the Arabic alphabet: ه === Etymology 3 === From Proto-Turkic [Term?] (“yes”). Compare Azerbaijani hə (“yes”), Turkmen hawa (“yes”), Uzbek ha (“yes”), Uyghur ھەئە (he'e, “yes”), Kazakh иә (iä, “yes”), Southern Altai эйе (eye, “yes”), Tatar әйе (äye, “aye, yes, yea”), Bashkir эйе (eye, “yes”), Chuvash ээх (eeh, “yes”). ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈhe/, [hɛ], [hæ̝] ==== Particle ==== he (colloquial) yes; yeah ===== Synonyms ===== evet ===== Antonyms ===== yok hayır ==== Interjection ==== he alternative form of ha == Yanomamö == === Alternative forms === fe === Noun === he head === References === Lizot, Jacques (2004), Diccionario enciclopédico de la lengua yãnomãmɨ‎[12] (in Spanish), Vicariato apostólico de Puerto Ayacucho, →ISBN == Yola == === Pronoun === he alternative form of hea 1867, “GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY“, page 31: === References === Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 31, &c. == Yoruba == === Etymology 1 === ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /hē/ ==== Verb ==== he to come across, to come by Mo rí ẹ̀bùn he, mo sì bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí í ṣí i. ― I came across a gift and started to open it. ===== Usage notes ===== often used in a serial verb construction with rí. === Etymology 2 === ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /hè/ ==== Verb ==== hè (Ikalẹ) (transitive) Ikalẹ form of sè (“to cook”) ===== Usage notes ===== he when followed by a direct object. ===== Derived terms =====