η χειρολαβή
“η χειρολαβή” (i khirolaví) — handrail in Greek. Noun, level A1, topic — transport. kherí plus laví, a grip: 'what the hand takes hold of'. The chi at the start is breathy. In a live sentence: “Κρατήσου από τη χειρολαβή” — Hold on to the handrail. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters η, χ, ε, ι, ρ, ο, λ, α, β. One of 24 words in the set “transport” in the Greek course.
In short
| Written in Greek | η χειρολαβή |
| Read in Latin letters | i khirolaví |
| Translation | handrail |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
- η χειρολαβήi khirolavíhandrail
Why it looks that way
kherí plus laví, a grip: 'what the hand takes hold of'. The chi at the start is breathy
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Κρατήσου από τη χειρολαβήkratísu apó ti khirolavíHold on to the handrail
Nearby words: transport
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
- σταθμόςstathmósstationthe same word serves the metro stop and the bus terminal: stathmós metró, stathmós leoforíon
- μετρόmetrómetrounchanged. The Athens metro doubles as a museum: the stations display what the dig brought up
- λεωφορείοleoforíobusleós — the people, féro — I carry: literally 'people-carrier'. Neuter: to leoforío
- ταξίtaksítaxithe ξ packs ks, stress at the end: ta-KSI. Unchanged
- το φανάριto fanáritraffic lightthe same word as a lantern. Sto fanári means at the traffic light
- το ποδήλατοto podílatobicyclepoús plus elaíno — 'moved by feet'. A Greek word through and through
- η στάση λεωφορείουi stási leoforíubus stopthe sign says simply STASI
- η μηνιαία κάρταi miniéa kártatransit passthere is also evdomadiéa — a weekly one: the pass is named by its term
- η διαδρομήi diadromíthe routefrom drómos, a way; the same word about a journey as a whole
- η διάβαση πεζώνi diávasi pezóncrosswalkpezós means on foot; the same root as pezodrómio, the sidewalk
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “transport”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “handrail” in Greek?
kherí plus laví, a grip: 'what the hand takes hold of'. The chi at the start is breathy
- How do you say “bus stop” in Greek?
the sign says simply STASI
- How do you say “bus” in Greek?
leós — the people, féro — I carry: literally 'people-carrier'. Neuter: to leoforío
- How do you say “crosswalk” in Greek?
pezós means on foot; the same root as pezodrómio, the sidewalk
- How do you say “bicycle” in Greek?
poús plus elaíno — 'moved by feet'. A Greek word through and through
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “handrail” in Greek?
«η χειρολαβή», read “i khirolaví”. In a live sentence: “Κρατήσου από τη χειρολαβή” — Hold on to the handrail. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A1, from the set “transport”; written with the characters η, χ, ε, ι, ρ, ο, λ, α, β.
How is “η χειρολαβή” written in Latin letters?
i khirolaví. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
kherí plus laví, a grip: 'what the hand takes hold of'. The chi at the start is breathy. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.