Backgammon glossary: every term, with Hebrew and Arabic
The terms of backgammon, each with its Hebrew and Arabic name. Useful when you play with friends from other countries, or read a guide in another language.
| Hebrew | English | العربية | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| בר | Bar | البار | The strip in the middle of the board. A checker that is hit goes there. |
| בית | Home board | البيت | The last six points on your way. You bear off from there. |
| אבן בודדת (חשופה) | Blot | حجر مكشوف | A single checker alone on a point. It can be hit. |
| אכילה | Hit | الضرب | Landing on a lone opposing checker, which sends it to the bar. |
| בית סגור | Point (made point) | خانة مغلقة | A point with two or more checkers of one player. The opponent can’t land there. |
| חומה | Prime | الجدار | Several closed points in a row. Six in a row cannot be passed. |
| עוגן | Anchor | المرساة | Two of your checkers together in your opponent’s home. |
| הוצאה | Bearing off | الإخراج | Taking checkers off the board at the end, once all are home. |
| מארס | Gammon | المارس | A win before the opponent has borne off a single checker. Worth 2. |
| מארס טורקי | Backgammon | المارس التركي | A gammon where the opponent still has a checker on the bar or in your home. Worth 3. |
| קוביית הכפלה | Doubling cube | مكعب المضاعفة | A cube marked 2 to 64 that doubles the value of the game. |
| ספירת צעדים | Pip count | عدّ الخطوات | How many pips a player needs to bear off every checker. 167 at the start. |
| דאבל | Doubles | الدوبارة | Both dice the same. You play the number four times. |
| אין כניסה | Dance | لا دخول | When a checker on the bar can’t come in, and the turn passes. |
| בית סגור לגמרי | Closeout | بيت مغلق تمامًا | All six points in the home are closed. A checker on the bar can’t come in at all. |
| מרוץ | Race | السباق | When the checkers have passed each other and there is no more contact. The faster side wins. |
The names of the numbers on the dice
Around backgammon tables all over the Middle East, the numbers are called by names that came from Persian and Turkish. That is also where the name "shesh besh" comes from: six and five.
| Number | Hebrew | English | العربية |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | יק | Yek | يك |
| 2 | דו | Du | دو |
| 3 | סה | Se | سه |
| 4 | ג׳הר | Jehar | جهار |
| 5 | בש (פנג׳) | Besh / Penj | بيش / بنج |
| 6 | שש | Shesh | شيش |
More terms, with full explanations and examples: Backgammon rules, Doubling cube, Gammon and backgammon.