Jahud

Jahud is a term used in several languages to refer to Jews or Judaism. It is a transliteration variant of a word derived from the Semitic root associated with Judah, and is related to the Arabic yahūd, as well as cognates in Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Hindi, and Indonesian/Malay. In these languages, forms such as Yahudi or Yahudī are commonly used with the same basic meaning.

Usage and nuance: In religious or historical texts, jahud or its cognates are often neutral identifiers for Jewish people or for Judaism. In general speech, the term can function as a straightforward descriptor, but like many ethnoreligious labels, it can carry pejorative or stereotypical connotations depending on context, tone, and intent.

Historical context: The designation appears in medieval Islamic, Persian, and Ottoman sources as part of discussions about Jewish communities, and it continues to appear in contemporary journalism, education, and public discourse in languages that borrow the term. It is not used as a geographic name or a specific organization, but rather as a linguistic label for a people or their religion.

See also: Judaism, Jews, Yehudim, antisemitism.