panim

Panim, written in Hebrew as פנים, is a noun that traditionally means face or countenance and can also refer to the front or surface of something. In modern Hebrew it is used for the literal face of a person as well as for metaphorical faces or aspects of a matter.

The term is ancient in origin and appears in Biblical Hebrew, where it carries the same core sense of outward appearance or presence. In contemporary usage, פנים remains common in both everyday speech and literary or journalistic Hebrew. Grammatically, פנים is a plural noun that often conveys a singular sense in ordinary speech, and it can denote multiple faces or facets of a single thing depending on context.

Phrases involving פנים include פנים אל פנים, meaning face to face, and פנים שונות, meaning different aspects or facets. The word also appears in expressions about appearance or countenance, and in discussions of the multiple “faces” or sides of an issue. In religious or historical texts, the same term maintains its broad sense of outward form or presence.

In contrast to פנים, the outside of a building is usually described with the word חזית (chazit), meaning facade. פנים can still refer to interior surfaces or the inner face of something when the context makes the sense clear. Overall, פנים remains a versatile and widely used term in Hebrew for both physical appearance and figurative dimensions.