Hayitochen

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Definitions

  • interj. "How could this be?", "How is this possible?"

  • interj. "[H]ow come[?]" (Steinemtz, Yiddish and English)

  • interj. "Could it be...[?]" (Weiser)

Example Sentences

  • "Your teacher just called and told me that you were misbehaving in class today. Hayitochen?"

  • "Hayitochen we're having shiur on Taanis Ester?" (Weiser)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • הי(י)תכן 'is it possible?'

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand
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      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, by Chaim Weiser (Northvale, 1995).

      Alternative Spellings

      Hayitochin, Hayituchen, Hayituchin, Hayitokhen, Hayitokhin, Hayitukhen, Hayitukhin, Hayitochn, Hayitokhn, Hayituchn, Hayitukhn

Notes

  • Often used as a one word response expressing disappointment in someone's else's behaviour (see an example here).

    Capitalized because it is only used in its own sentence or as the first word of a sentence.

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