Hebrew alphabet

The Hebrew alphabet (Template:Langx,Template:Ref label Template:Transliteration), known variously by scholars as the Ktav Ashuri, Jewish script, square script and block script, is a unicameral abjad script used in the writing of the Hebrew language and other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, Judeo-Arabic, and Judeo-Persian. In modern Hebrew, vowels are increasingly introduced. It is also used informally in Israel to write Levantine Arabic, especially among Druze.<ref name="AbuElhija">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Gaash, Amir. "Colloquial Arabic written in Hebrew characters on Israeli websites by Druzes (and other non-Jews)." Jerusalem studies in Arabic and Islam 43 (2016): 15.</ref><ref>Shachmon, Ori, and Merav Mack. "Speaking Arabic, Writing Hebrew. Linguistic Transitions in Christian Arab Communities in Israel". Wiener Zeitschrift Für Die Kunde Des Morgenlandes, vol. 106, 2016, pp. 223–239. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26449346. Accessed 15 July 2021.</ref> It is an offshoot of the Imperial Aramaic alphabet, which flourished during the Achaemenid Empire and which itself derives from the Phoenician alphabet.

Historically, a different abjad script was used to write Hebrew: the original, old Hebrew script, now known as the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet, has been largely preserved in a variant form as the Samaritan alphabet, and is still used by the Samaritans. The present Jewish script or square script, on the contrary, is a stylized form of the Aramaic alphabet and was technically known by Jewish sages as Ashurit (Template:Lit), since its origins were known to be from Assyria (Mesopotamia).<ref>Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 21b–22a); Jerusalem Talmud (Megillah 10a). Cf. Mishnah (Megillah 1:8): "The Books [of Scripture] differ from phylacteries and Mezuzahs only in that the Books may be written in any language, while phylacteries and Mezuzahs may be written in the Assyrian writing only." See: The Mishnah (ed. Herbert Danby), Oxford University Press: London 1977, p. 202.</ref>

Various styles (in current terms, fonts) of representation of the Jewish script letters described in this article also exist, including a variety of cursive Hebrew styles. In the remainder of this article, the term Hebrew alphabet refers to the square script unless otherwise indicated.

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters. It does not have case. Five letters have different forms when used at the end of a word. Hebrew is written from right to left. Originally, the alphabet was an abjad consisting only of consonants, but is now considered an impure abjad. As with other abjads, such as the Arabic alphabet, during its centuries-long use scribes devised means of indicating vowel sounds by separate vowel points, known in Hebrew as niqqud. In both biblical and rabbinic Hebrew, the letters {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} can also function as matres lectionis, which is when certain consonants are used to indicate vowels. There is a trend in Modern Hebrew towards the use of matres lectionis to indicate vowels that have traditionally gone unwritten, a practice known as full spelling.

The Yiddish alphabet, a modified version of the Hebrew alphabet used to write Yiddish, is a true alphabet, with all vowels rendered in the spelling, except in the case of inherited Hebrew words, which typically retain their Hebrew consonant-only spellings.

The Arabic and Hebrew alphabets have similarities in acrophony because it is said that they are both derived from the Aramaic alphabet, which in turn derives from the Phoenician alphabet, both being slight regional variations of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet used in ancient times to write the various Canaanite languages (including Hebrew, Moabite, Phoenician, Punic, et cetera).

History

File:Paleo-Hebrew abjad.svg

Paleo-Hebrew alphabet containing 22 letters, period, geresh, and gershayim

File:Aleppo Codex Joshua 1 1.jpg

The Aleppo Codex, a tenth-century Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible. Book of Joshua 1:1

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The Canaanite dialects were largely indistinguishable before around 1000 BCE.<ref>Template:Citation.</ref> An example of related early Semitic inscriptions from the area include the tenth-century Gezer calendar over which scholars are divided as to whether its language is Hebrew or Phoenician and whether the script is Proto-Canaanite or Paleo-Hebrew.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>The Calendar Tablet from Gezer, Adam L Bean, Emmanual School of Religion Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>"Is it "Tenable"?", Hershel Shanks, Biblical Archaeology Review Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Spelling in the Hebrew Bible: Dahood memorial lecture, By Francis I. Andersen, A. Dean Forbes, p56</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Rollston2010">Template:Cite book</ref>

A Hebrew variant of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, called the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet by scholars, began to emerge around 800 BCE.Template:Sfn An example is the Siloam inscription (Template:Circa).Template:Sfn

The Paleo-Hebrew alphabet was used in the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Following the Babylonian exile of the Kingdom of Judah in the 6th century BCE, Jews began using a form of the Imperial Aramaic alphabet, another offshoot of the same family of scripts, which flourished during the Achaemenid Empire (and which in turn had been adopted from the Assyrians). The Samaritans, who remained in the Land of Israel, continued to use the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet. During the 3rd century BCE (after the end of the Achaemenid Empire in 330 BCE), Jews began to use a stylized, "square" form of the Imperial Aramaic alphabet,Template:Sfn while the Samaritans continued to use a form of the Paleo-Hebrew script called the Samaritan alphabet. For a few centuries, Jews used both scripts (although use of Paleo-Hebrew was limited then) before eventually, after the 1st century BCE, settling on the square Assyrian form.Template:Citation needed

The square Hebrew alphabet was later adapted and used for writing languages of the Jewish diasporaTemplate:Dashsuch as Karaim, the Judeo-Arabic languages, Judaeo-Spanish, and Yiddish. The Hebrew alphabet continued in use for scholarly writing in Hebrew and came again into everyday use with the rebirth of the Hebrew language as a spoken language in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially in Israel.Template:Citation needed

Description

General

In the traditional form, the Hebrew alphabet is an abjad consisting only of consonants, written from right to left. It has 22 letters, five of which use different forms at the end of a word.

Vowels

{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} In the traditional form, vowels are indicated by the weak consonants Aleph (Template:Script/Hebrew), He (Template:Script/Hebrew), Waw/Vav (Template:Script/Hebrew), or Yodh (Template:Script/Hebrew) serving as vowel letters, or matres lectionis: the letter is combined with a previous vowel and becomes silent, or by imitation of such cases in the spelling of other forms. Also, a system of vowel points to indicate vowels (diacritics), called niqqud, was developed. In modern forms of the alphabet, as in the case of Yiddish and to some extent Modern Hebrew, vowels may be indicated. Today, the trend is toward full spelling with the weak letters acting as true vowels.

When used to write Yiddish, vowels are indicated, using certain letters, either with niqqud diacritics (e.g. Template:Script/Hebrew or Template:Script/Hebrew) or without (e.g. Template:Script/Hebrew or Template:Script/Hebrew), except for Hebrew words, which in Yiddish are written in their Hebrew spelling.

To preserve the proper vowel sounds, scholars developed several different sets of vocalization and diacritical symbols called nequdot (Template:Script/Hebrew, literally "points"). One of these, the Tiberian system, eventually prevailed. Aaron ben Moses ben Asher, and his family for several generations, are credited for refining and maintaining the system. These points are normally used only for special purposes, such as Biblical books intended for study, in poetry or when teaching the language to children. The Tiberian system also includes a set of cantillation marks, called trope or Template:Transliteration, used to indicate how scriptural passages should be chanted in synagogue recitations of scripture (although these marks do not appear in the scrolls). In everyday writing of modern Hebrew, niqqud are absent; however, patterns of how words are derived from Hebrew roots (called shorashim or triliterals) allow Hebrew speakers to determine the vowel-structure of a given word from its consonants based on the word's context and part of speech.

Alphabet

Unlike the Paleo-Hebrew writing script, the modern Hebrew script has five letters that have special final forms,Template:Ref label called sofit (Template:Langx, meaning in this context "final" or "ending") form, used only at the end of a word, somewhat as in the Greek or in the Arabic and Mandaic alphabets.Template:Ref label These are shown below the normal form in the following table (letter names are Unicode standard<ref name="unicode_names_of_hebrew_glyphs_at_unicode.org">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="unicode_names_of_hebrew_glyphs_at_fileformat.info">Unicode names of Hebrew characters at fileformat.info.</ref>). Although Hebrew is read and written from right to left, the following table shows the letters in order from left to right:

Alef	Bet	Gimel	Dalet	He	Waw/Vav	Zayin	Chet	Tet	Yod	Kaf
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew
										Template:Script/Hebrew
Lamed	Mem	Nun	Samech	Ayin	Pe	Tsadi	Qof	Resh	Shin	Tav
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew
	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew			Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew

Order

As far back as the 13th century BCE, ancient Hebrew abecedaries indicate a slightly different ordering of the alphabet. The Zayit Stone,<ref>Tappy, Ron E., et al. "An Abecedary of the Mid-Tenth Century B.C.E. from the Judaean Shephelah." Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 344, 2006, pp. 5–46. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25066976. Accessed 17 May 2024.</ref> Izbet Sartah ostracon,<ref>A. Dotan. “The Alphabet Inscription of 'Izbet Ṣarṭah / כתובת הא"ב מעזבת צרטה.” Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies / ארץ-ישראל: מחקרים בידיעת הארץ ועתיקותיה, vol. 16 (טז), 1982, pp. 62–69. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23619530. Accessed 17 May 2024.</ref> and one inscription from Kuntillet Ajrud<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> each contain a number of reverse letter orders; such as Template:Transliteration-Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration-Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration-Template:Transliteration, etc.

A reversal to Template:Transliteration can be clearly seen in the Book of Lamentations, whose first four chapters are ordered as alphabetical acrostics. In the Masoretic text, the first chapter has the now-usual Template:Transliteration ordering, and the second, third and fourth chapters exhibit Template:Transliteration.Template:Sfn In the Dead Sea Scrolls version (4QLam/4Q111), reversed ordering also appears in the first chapter (i.e. in all the first four chapters).Template:Sfn The fact that these chapters follows the pre-exilic Template:Transliteration order is evidence for them being written shortly after the events described, rather than being later, post-exilic compositions.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Pronunciation

Alphabet

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The descriptions that follow are based on the pronunciation of modern standard Israeli Hebrew.

letter	IPA	Name of letter						Pronunciation
		Unicode<ref name="unicode_names_of_hebrew_glyphs_at_unicode.org"/><ref name="unicode_names_of_hebrew_glyphs_at_fileformat.info"/>	Hebrew<ref>Kaplan, Aryeh. Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation. pp. 8, 22.</ref>	Modern Hebrew pronunciation	Yiddish / Ashkenazi pronunciation	Sephardi pronunciation	Yemenite pronunciation	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink	Alef	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	When ʔ, as in button [ˈbʌʔn̩] or clipboard [ˌklɪʔ⁠ˈbɔɹd]
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Bet	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	b as in black
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	v as in vogue
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Gimel	Template:Script/Hebrew	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	g as in gourd
Template:Script/Hebrew	[ɣ]		Template:Script/Hebrew			main}}	main}}	gh as in Arabic ghoul
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Dalet	Template:Script/Hebrew	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	d as in doll
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew			main}}	main}}	th as in that
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	He	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	h as in hold
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Vav	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	v as in vogue
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Zayin	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	z as in zoo
Template:Script/Hebrew	[χ]	Chet	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	ch as in Bach
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Tet	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	t as in tool
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Yod	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	y as in yolk
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Kaf	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	k as in king
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	ch as in bach
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	k as in king
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink~Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	ch as in bach
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Lamed	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	l as in luck
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Mem	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	m as in mother
Template:Script/Hebrew			Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Nun	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	n as in night
Template:Script/Hebrew			Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Samekh	ְTemplate:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	s as in sight
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink~Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink	Ayin	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	When ʔ, as in button [ˈbʌʔn̩] or clipboard [ˌklɪʔ⁠ˈbɔɹd]. When ʕ, no English equivalent.
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Pe	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	p as in pine
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	f as in fine
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	p as in pine
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	f as in fine
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Tsadi	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	ts as in cats
Template:Script/Hebrew			Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Qof	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	k as in king
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Resh	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	r as in French ⟨r⟩
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Shin	Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	sh as in shower
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	s as in sour
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Tav	Template:Script/Hebrew	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	t as in tool
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink		Template:Script/Hebrew		main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	th as in thin

Shin and sin

Symbol	Name	Transliteration	IPA	Example
Template:Script/Hebrew (right dot)	shin	sh	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	shower
Template:Script/Hebrew (left dot)	sin	s	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	sour

Historically, left-dot-sin corresponds to Proto-Semitic *Template:Transliteration, which in biblical-Judaic-Hebrew corresponded to the voiceless alveolar lateral fricative {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (or /ś/).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Dagesh

{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} {{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also Historically, the consonants Template:Script/Hebrew bet, Template:Script/Hebrew gimmel, Template:Script/Hebrew daleth, Template:Script/Hebrew kaf, Template:Script/Hebrew pe and Template:Script/Hebrew tav each had two sounds: one hard (plosive), and one soft (fricative), depending on the position of the letter and otherTemplate:Which factors. When vowel diacritics are used, the hard sounds are indicated by a central dot called dagesh (Template:Script/Hebrew), while the soft sounds lack a dagesh. In modern Hebrew, however, the dagesh only changes the pronunciation of Template:Script/Hebrew bet, Template:Script/Hebrew kaf, and Template:Script/Hebrew pe, and does not affect the name of the letter. The differences are as follows:

Name	With dagesh				Without dagesh
	Symbol	Transliteration	IPA	Example	Symbol	Transliteration	IPA	Example
bet/vet	Template:Script/Hebrew	b	/b/	ban	Template:Script/Hebrew	v, ḇ	/v/	van
kaf	<ref name="kaf_sofit">"Template:Script" is rare but exists, e.g. last word in Deuteronomy 7 1 ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) in the word "Template:Script/Hebrew"Template:Dashsee {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. There is a single occurrence of "Template:Script", see this commentTemplate:Ref label.</ref>Template:Script/Hebrew	k	/k/	kangaroo	Template:Script/Hebrew	kh, ch, ḵ, x	/χ/	loch
pe	Template:Script/Hebrew	p	/p/	pine	Template:Script/Hebrew	f, p̄, ph	/f/	fine

In other dialects (mainly liturgical) there are variations from this pattern.

• In some Sephardi and Mizrahi dialects, bet without dagesh is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, like bet with dagesh
• In Syrian and Yemenite Hebrew, gimel without dagesh is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
• In Yemenite Hebrew, and in the Iraqi pronunciation of the word Adonai, dalet without dagesh is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in these
• In Ashkenazi Hebrew, as well as Krymchaki Hebrew, tav without dagesh is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in silk
• In Iraqi and Yemenite Hebrew, and formerly in some other dialects, tav without dagesh is pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as in thick

Sounds represented with diacritic geresh

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{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

The sounds Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink, written ⟨Template:Script/Hebrew⟩, ⟨Template:Script/Hebrew⟩, ⟨Template:Script/Hebrew⟩, and Template:IPAblink, non-standardly sometimes transliterated ⟨Template:Script/Hebrew⟩, are often found in slang and loanwords that are part of the everyday Hebrew colloquial vocabulary. The symbol resembling an apostrophe after the Hebrew letter modifies the pronunciation of the letter and is called a geresh.

Hebrew slang and loanwords
Name	Symbol	IPA	Transliteration	Example
Gimel with a geresh	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	ǧ<ref name=foreign_sounds/>	ǧáḥnun	main}}	Template:Script/Hebrew
Zayin with a geresh	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	ž<ref name=foreign_sounds/>	koláž	main}}	Template:Script/Hebrew
Tsadi with a geresh	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	č<ref name=foreign_sounds/>	čupár (treat)	main}}	Template:Script/Hebrew
Vav with a geresh or double Vav	Template:Script/Hebrew or Template:Script/Hebrew (non standard)Template:Ref label	Template:IPAblink	w	awánta (boastful act)	main}}	Template:Script/Hebrew

The pronunciation of the following letters can also be modified with the geresh diacritic. The represented sounds are however foreign to Hebrew phonology, i.e., these symbols mainly represent sounds in foreign words or names when transliterated with the Hebrew alphabet, and not loanwords.

Transliteration of non-native sounds
Name	Symbol	IPA	Arabic letter	Example		Comment
Dalet with a geresh	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	[[Ḏāl|Template:Transliteration]] (Template:Script/Arabic) Voiced th	Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})‎	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	Template:Blist
Tav with a geresh	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	[[Ṯāʼ|Template:Transliteration]] (Template:Script/Arabic) Voiceless th	Thurston	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
Chet with a geresh	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	[[Ḫāʾ|Template:Transliteration]] (Template:Script/Arabic)	Sheikh ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})‎	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	Unlike the other sounds in this table, the sound Template:IPAblink represented by Template:Script/Hebrew is indeed a native sound in Hebrew; the geresh is however used only when transliteration must distinguish between Template:IPAblink and Template:IPAblink, in which case Template:Script/Hebrew transliterates the former and ח the latter, whereas in everyday usage ח without geresh is pronounced Template:IPAblink only dialectically but Template:IPAblink commonly.
Ayin with a geresh or Resh with a geresh	Template:Script/Hebrew or Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	[[Ġayn|Template:Transliteration]] (Template:Script/Arabic)	Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}); Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	The guidelines specified by the Academy of the Hebrew Language prefer Resh with a geresh (Template:Script/Hebrew); however, this guideline is not universally followed

Geresh is also used to denote an abbreviation consisting of a single Hebrew letter, while gershayim (a doubled geresh) are used to denote acronyms pronounced as a string of letters; geresh and gershayim are also used to denote Hebrew numerals consisting of a single Hebrew letter or of multiple Hebrew letters, respectively. Geresh is also the name of a cantillation mark used for Torah recitation, though its visual appearance and function are different in that context.

Identical pronunciation

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In much of Israel's general population, especially where Ashkenazic pronunciation is prevalent, many letters have the same pronunciation. They are as follows:

Letters				Transliteration	Pronunciation (IPA)
Template:Script/Hebrew Alef*	Template:Script/Hebrew Ayin*			not transliterated	Usually when in medial word position: Template:IPAslink (separation of vowels in a hiatus)
					In initial, final, or sometimes medial word position: silent
				alternatingly
				ʼ	Template:IPAslink (glottal plosive)
Template:Script/Hebrew Bet (without dagesh) Vet	Template:Script/Hebrew Vav			v	Template:IPAslink
Template:Script/Hebrew Chet*	Template:Script/Hebrew Kaf (without dagesh) Khaf*			kh/ch/h	Template:IPAslink
Template:Script/Hebrew Tet	Template:Script/Hebrew Tav			t	Template:IPAslink
Template:Script/Hebrew Kaf (with dagesh)	Template:Script/Hebrew Qof			k	Template:IPAslink
Template:Script/Hebrew Samekh	Template:Script/Hebrew Sin (with left dot)			s	Template:IPAslink
Template:Script/Hebrew Tsadi*	Template:Script/Hebrew Tav-Samekh*	and	Template:Script/Hebrew Tav-Sin*	ts/tz	Template:IPAslink
Template:Script/Hebrew Tsadi (with geresh)	Template:Script/Hebrew Tet-Shin*	and	Template:Script/Hebrew Tav-Shin*	ch/tsh (chair)	Template:IPAslink

* Varyingly

Ancient Hebrew pronunciation

{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }}

Some of the variations in sound mentioned above are due to a systematic feature of Ancient Hebrew. The six consonants {{#invoke:IPA|main}} were pronounced differently depending on their position. These letters were also called BeGeD KeFeT letters Template:IPAc-en. The full details are very complex; this summary omits some points. They were pronounced as plosives {{#invoke:IPA|main}} at the beginning of a syllable, or when doubled. They were pronounced as fricatives {{#invoke:IPA|main}} when preceded by a vowel (commonly indicated with a macron, ḇ ḡ ḏ ḵ p̄ ṯ). The plosive and double pronunciations were indicated by the dagesh. In Modern Hebrew the sounds ḏ and ḡ have reverted to {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, respectively, and ṯ has become {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, so only the remaining three consonants {{#invoke:IPA|main}} show variation. Template:Script/Hebrew resh may have also been a "doubled" letter, making the list BeGeD KePoReT. (Sefer Yetzirah, 4:1)

• Template:Script/Hebrew chet and Template:Script/Hebrew ayin represented the pharyngeal fricatives {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, respectively, Template:Script/Hebrew tsadi represented the emphatic consonant {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, Template:Script/Hebrew tet represented the emphatic consonant {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, and Template:Script/Hebrew qof represented the uvular plosive {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. All these are common Semitic consonants.
• Template:Script/Hebrew sin (the {{#invoke:IPA|main}} variant of Template:Script/Hebrew shin) was originally different from both Template:Script/Hebrew shin and Template:Script/Hebrew samekh, but had become {{#invoke:IPA|main}} the same as Template:Script/Hebrew samekh by the time the vowel pointing was devised. Because of cognates with other Semitic languages, this phoneme is known to have originally been a lateral consonant, most likely the voiceless alveolar lateral fricative {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (the sound of modern Welsh ll) or the voiceless alveolar lateral affricate {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (like Náhuatl tl).

Regional and historical variation

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The following table contains the pronunciation of the Hebrew letters in reconstructed historical forms and dialects using the International Phonetic Alphabet. The apostrophe-looking symbol after some letters is not a yud but a geresh. It is used for loanwords with non-native Hebrew sounds. The dot in the middle of some of the letters, called a dagesh kal, also modifies the sounds of the letters Template:Script, Template:Script and Template:Script in modern Hebrew (in some forms of Hebrew it modifies also the sounds of the letters Template:Script, Template:Script and/or Template:Script; the dagesh chazakTemplate:Dashorthographically indistinguishable from the dagesh kalTemplate:Dashdesignates gemination, which today is realized only rarelyTemplate:Dashe.g. in biblical recitations or when using Arabic loanwords).

Symbol	Pronunciation
	Israeli	Ashkenazi	Sephardi	Yemenite	Reconstructed			Imperial Aramaic (ancestral script)
					Tiberian	Mishnaic	Biblical
Template:Script/Hebrew	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	[–]	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	Template:IPAblink	File:Aleph.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Beth.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	main}}	main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Igimel.png
Template:Script/Hebrew			main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Daleth.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew			{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink
Template:Script/Hebrew	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	main}}	Template:IPAblink	File:He0.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Waw.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	main}}	main}}	main}}	?	?	?
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	main}}	main}}	main}}	?	?	?
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Zayin.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	main}}	File:Heth.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	main}}	main}} (1)	main}}	main}} (2)	main}} (3)	File:Teth.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Yod.svg
ִTemplate:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	?	?	?
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Kaph.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	main}}	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Lamed.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Mem.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Nun.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Samekh.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	[ʕ, –]	[–]	main}} –]	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	main}}	main}}	File:Ayin.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Pe0.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	main}} (1)	main}}	main}} (2)	main}}	File:Sade 1.svg, File:Sade 2.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Qoph.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	Template:IPAblink~Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink~Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink~Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Resh.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Shin.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	File:Taw.svg
Template:Script/Hebrew		Template:IPAblink		Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink

1. velarized or pharyngealized
2. pharyngealized
3. sometimes said to be ejective but more likely glottalized.

Vowels

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Matres lectionis

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Template:Script/Hebrew alef, Template:Script/Hebrew ayin, Template:Script/Hebrew waw/vav and Template:Script/Hebrew yod are letters that can sometimes indicate a vowel instead of a consonant (which would be, respectively, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}). When they do, Template:Script/Hebrew and Template:Script/Hebrew are considered to constitute part of the vowel designation in combination with a niqqud symbolTemplate:Dasha vowel diacritic (whether or not the diacritic is marked), whereas Template:Script/Hebrew and Template:Script/Hebrew are considered to be mute, their role being purely indicative of the non-marked vowel.

Letter	Name of letter	Consonant indicated when letter consonantal	Vowel designation	Name of vowel designation	Indicated Vowel
Template:Script/Hebrew	alef	main}}	—	—	ê, ệ, ậ, â, ô
Template:Script/Hebrew	ayin	main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	—	—	ê, ệ, ậ, â, ô
Template:Script/Hebrew	waw/vav	{{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	Template:Script/Hebrew	ḥolám malé	ô
			Template:Script/Hebrew	shurúq	û
Template:Script/Hebrew	yud	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}	Template:Script/Hebrew	ḥiríq malé	î
			Template:Script/Hebrew	tseré malé	ê, ệ

Vowel points

Niqqud is the system of dots that help determine vowels and consonants. In Hebrew, all forms of niqqud are often omitted in writing, except for children's books, prayer books, poetry, foreign words, and words which would be ambiguous to pronounce. Israeli Hebrew has five vowel phonemes, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, but many more written symbols for them:

Name	Symbol	Written Position	Israeli Hebrew
			IPA	Transliteration	English example
Hiriq	File:Hebrew Hiriq.svg	vowel written below consonant	Template:IPAblink	i	meet
Tsere	File:Hebrew Zeire.svg	vowel written below consonant	Template:IPAblink, ({{#invoke:IPA|main}} with succeeding yod)	eh (precise pronunciation); ei (imprecise due to modern pronunciation, even if with succeeding yodTemplate:Dashsee Note 2)	bed, penguin
Segol	File:Hebrew Segol.svg	vowel written below consonant	Template:IPAblink	e	men
Patach	File:Hebrew Patah.svg	vowel written below consonant	Template:IPAblink	a	father
Kamatz	File:Hebrew Qamaz.svg	vowel written below consonant	Template:IPAblink, (or Template:IPAblink)	ah, (or oh)	father, login
Holam Haser	File:Hebrew Holam.svg	vowel written above consonant	Template:IPAblink	o	home
Holam Male	Template:Script/Hebrew	isolated vowel written on its own
Shuruk	Template:Script/Hebrew	isolated vowel written on its own	Template:IPAblink	u	food
Kubutz	File:Hebrew Backslash Qubuz.svg	vowel written below consonant

Note 1: The circle represents whatever Hebrew letter is used.
Note 2: The pronunciation of tsere and sometimes segolTemplate:Dashwith or without the letter yodTemplate:Dashis sometimes ei in Modern Hebrew. This is not correct in the normative pronunciation and not consistent in the spoken language.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Note 3: The dagesh, mappiq, and shuruk have different functions, even though they look the same.
Note 4: The letter Template:Script/Hebr (waw/vav) is used since it can only be represented by that letter.

Meteg

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By adding a vertical line (called Meteg) underneath the letter and to the left of the vowel point, the vowel is made long. The meteg is only used in Biblical Hebrew, not Modern Hebrew.

Sh'va

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By adding two vertical dots (called sh'va) underneath the letter, the vowel is made very short. When sh'va is placed on the first letter of the word, mostly it is "è" (but in some instances, it makes the first letter silent without a vowel (vowel-less): e.g. וְ wè to "w").

Name	Symbol	Israeli Hebrew
		IPA	Transliteration	English example
Shva	File:Tilde Schwa.svg	Template:IPAblink or Template:IPA link	apostrophe, e, or silent	met or silent
Reduced Segol	File:Hataf Segol.svg	Template:IPAblink	e	met
Reduced Patach	File:Hataf Patah.svg	Template:IPAblink	a	cat
Reduced Kamatz	File:Hataf Qamaz.svg	Template:IPAblink	o	on

Comparison table

citation

CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Vowel length (phonetically not manifested in Israeli Hebrew)			IPA	Transliteration	English example
Long	Short	Very Short
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	a	fall
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	e	men
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:IPAblink	o	joke
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew		Template:IPAblink	u	duty
Template:Script/Hebrew	Template:Script/Hebrew		Template:IPAblink	i	media
Note I:		By adding two vertical dots (sh'va) Template:Script/Hebrew the vowel is made very short.
Note II:		The short o and long a have the same niqqud.
Note III:		The short o is usually promoted to a long o in Israeli writing for the sake of disambiguation.
Note IV:		The short u is usually promoted to a long u in Israeli writing for the sake of disambiguation.

Gershayim

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The symbol Template:Script/Hebrew is called a gershayim and is a punctuation mark used in the Hebrew language to denote acronyms. It is written before the last letter in the acronym, e.g. Template:Script/Hebrew. Gershayim is also the name of a cantillation mark in the reading of the Torah, printed above the accented letter, e.g. Template:Script/Hebrew.

Stylistic variants

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The following table displays typographic and chirographic variants of each letter. For the letters that have different forms in word-final position, the final forms are displayed beneath the regular forms.

The block (square, or print form) and cursive (handwritten form) are the only variants in widespread contemporary use. Rashi is also used, for historical reasons, in a handful of standard texts.

Letter name (Unicode)		Variants
		Contemporary			Early modern	Ancestral
		Block serif	Block sans-serif	Cursive	Rashi	Phoenician	Paleo-Hebrew	Aramaic
Alef		א	א	File:Hebrew letter Alef handwriting.svg	File:Alef (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤀	Alef	File:Aleph.svg
Bet		ב	ב	File:Hebrew letter Bet handwriting.svg	File:Bet (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤁	Bet	File:Beth.svg
Gimel		ג	ג	File:Hebrew letter Gimel handwriting.svg	File:Gimel (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤂	Gimel	File:Igimel.png
Dalet		ד	ד	File:Hebrew letter Daled handwriting.svg	File:Daled (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤃	Daled	File:Daleth.svg
He		ה	ה	File:Hebrew letter He handwriting.svg	File:He (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤄	Heh	File:He0.svg
Vav (Unicode)<ref name="unicode_names_of_hebrew_glyphs_at_unicode.org"/> / Waw		ו	ו	File:Hebrew letter Vav handwriting.svg	File:Vav (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤅	Vav	File:Waw.svg
Zayin		ז	ז	File:Hebrew letter Zayin handwriting.svg	File:Zayin (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤆	Zayin	File:Zayin.svg
Chet		ח	ח	File:Hebrew letter Het handwriting.svg	File:Het (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤇	Khet	File:Heth.svg
Tet		ט	ט	File:Hebrew letter Tet handwriting.svg	File:Tet (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤈	Tet	File:Teth.svg
Yod		י	י	File:Hebrew letter Yud handwriting.svg	File:Yud (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤉	Yud	File:Yod.svg
Kaf	Non-final	כ	כ	File:Hebrew letter Kaf handwriting.svg	File:Kaf-nonfinal (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤊	Khof	File:Kaph.svg
	Final	ך	ך	File:Hebrew letter Kaf-final handwriting.svg	File:Kaf-final (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg
Lamed		ל	ל	File:Hebrew letter Lamed handwriting.svg	File:Lamed (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤋	Lamed	File:Lamed.svg
Mem	Non-final	מ	מ	File:Hebrew letter Mem handwriting.svg	File:Mem-nonfinal (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤌	Mem	File:Mem.svg
	Final	ם	ם	File:Hebrew letter Mem-final handwriting.svg	File:Mem-final (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg
Nun	Non-final	נ	נ	File:Hebrew letter Nun handwriting.svg	File:Nun-nonfinal (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤍	Nun	File:Nun.svg
	Final	ן	ן	File:Hebrew letter Nun-final handwriting.svg	File:Nun-final (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg
Samekh		ס	ס	File:Hebrew letter Samekh handwriting.svg	File:Samekh (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤎	Samekh	File:Samekh.svg
Ayin		ע	ע	File:Hebrew letter Ayin handwriting.svg	File:Ayin (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤏	Ayin	File:Ayin.svg
Pe	Non-final	פ	פ	File:Hebrew letter Pe handwriting.svg	File:Pe-nonfinal (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤐	Pey	File:Pe0.svg
	Final	ף	ף	File:Hebrew letter Pe-final handwriting.svg	File:Pe-final (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg
Tsadi	Non-final	צ	צ	File:Hebrew letter Tsadik handwriting.svg	File:Tsadik-nonfinal (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤑	Tzadi	File:Sade 1.svg, File:Sade 2.svg
	Final	ץ	ץ	File:Hebrew letter Tsadik-final handwriting.svg	File:Tsadik-final (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg
Qof		ק	ק	File:Hebrew letter Kuf handwriting.svg	File:Kuf (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤒	Quf	File:Qoph.svg
Resh		ר	ר	File:Hebrew letter Resh handwriting.svg	File:Resh (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤓	Resh	File:Resh.svg
Shin		ש	ש	File:Hebrew letter Shin handwriting.svg	File:Shin (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤔	Shin	File:Shin.svg
Tav		ת	ת	File:Hebrew letter Taf handwriting.svg	File:Taf (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg	𐤕	Tof	File:Taw.svg

Yiddish symbols

Symbol	Explanation
Template:Script/Hebrew	These are intended for Yiddish. They are not used in Hebrew, aside from in loan wordsTemplate:Ref label. They are possible to visually recreate using a sequence of letters, Template:Script/Hebrew, except when a diacritic is inserted underneath that would not appear in the middle.
Template:Script/Hebrew	The rafe ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) diacritic is no longer regularly used in Hebrew. In Masoretic Texts and some other older texts, lenited consonants and sometimes matres lectionis are indicated by a small line on top of the letter. Its use has been largely discontinued in modern printed texts. It is still used to mark fricative consonants in the YIVO orthography of Yiddish.

Numeric values of letters

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Following the adoption of Greek Hellenistic alphabetic numeration practice, Hebrew letters started being used to denote numbers in the late 2nd century BCE,<ref>Sirat, Colette (1976), Ecriture et civilisations, Paris: Editions du CNRS.</ref> and performed this arithmetic function for about a thousand years. Template:Citation needed span

File:Hohe Synagoge Prag 1.jpg

The lower clock on the Jewish Town Hall building in Prague, with Hebrew numerals in counterclockwise order.

letter	numeric value	letter	numeric value	letter	numeric value
Template:Script	1	Template:Script	10	Template:Script	100
Template:Script	2	Template:Script	20	Template:Script	200
Template:Script	3	Template:Script	30	Template:Script	300
Template:Script	4	Template:Script	40	Template:Script	400
Template:Script	5	Template:Script	50
Template:Script	6	Template:Script	60
Template:Script	7	Template:Script	70
Template:Script	8	Template:Script	80
Template:Script	9	Template:Script	90

Transliterations and transcriptions

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The following table lists transliterations and transcriptions of Hebrew letters used in Modern Hebrew.

Clarifications:

• For some letters, the Academy of the Hebrew Language offers a precise transliteration that differs from the regular standard it has set. When omitted, no such precise alternative exists and the regular standard applies.
• The IPA phonemic transcription is specified whenever it uses a different symbol from the one used for the regular standard Israeli transliteration.
• The IPA phonetic transcription is specified whenever it differs from IPA phonemic transcription.

Note: SBL's transliteration system, recommended in its Handbook of Style,<ref name=SBL>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> differs slightly from the 2006 precise transliteration system of the Academy of the Hebrew Language; for ⟨Template:Script⟩ SBL uses ⟨ṣ⟩ (≠ AHL ⟨ẓ⟩), and for {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} with no dagesh, SBL uses the same symbols as for with dagesh (i.e. ⟨b⟩, ⟨g⟩, ⟨d⟩, ⟨k⟩, ⟨f⟩, ⟨t⟩).

Click "show" to view extended table including examples.
Hebrew letter	example	Translation		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>||example		standard Israeli transliteration – precise<ref name=akademya/>	example		IPA phonemic transcription	example		IPA phonetic transcription	example
Template:Script consonantal, in initial word positions	lang}}	if		noneTemplate:Ref label	im								Template:IPAblink	main}}
Template:Script consonantal, in non-initial word positions	lang}}	asked		'	sha'ál		ʾ	shaʾál		Template:IPAslink	main}}
Template:Script silent	lang}}	first		noneTemplate:Ref label	rishón
Template:Script	lang}}	son		b	ben
Template:Script	lang}}	good		v	tov
Template:Script	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	roof		g	gag		g	gaḡ
Template:Script							ḡ
Template:Script	lang}}	roach		ǧTemplate:Ref label<ref name=foreign_sounds>Transliteration guidelines preceding 2006-update Template:Webarchive, p. 3 Academy of the Hebrew Language</ref>	ǧuk					Template:IPAslink	main}}
Template:Script	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	boiler		d	dud		d	duḏ
Template:Script							ḏ
Template:Script consonantal	lang}}	echo		h	hed
Template:Script silent	lang}}	here		noneTemplate:Ref label	po
Template:Script consonantal	lang}}	hook		v	vav		w	waw
Template:Script	lang}}	he		u	hu
Template:Script	lang}}	to him		o	lo								Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink	main}}
Template:Script	lang}}	this		z	ze
Template:Script	lang}}	jargon		žTemplate:Ref label<ref name=foreign_sounds/>	žargón					Template:IPAslink	main}}
Template:Script	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	hot		ẖ Template:Ref label	ẖam		ḥ	ḥam		Template:IPAslink or Template:IPAslink	main}}		Template:IPAblink	main}}
										dialectical Template:IPAblink	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}
Template:Script	lang}}	tiny		t	kat		ṭ	kaṭ
Template:Script consonantal	lang}}	sea		y	yam					Template:IPAslink	main}}
Template:Script part of hirik male (/i/ vowel)	lang}}	in me		i	bi
Template:Script part of tsere male (/e/ vowel or /ei/ diphthong)	lang}}	information		e	medá		é	médá		Template:IPAslink or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}		Template:IPAblink or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
Template:Script<ref name="kaf_sofit"/>	lang}}	so		k	ko
Template:Script	lang}}	branch-roofing		kh Template:Ref label	skhakh		ḵ	sḵaḵ		Template:IPAslink or Template:IPAslink	main}}		Template:IPAblink	main}}
Template:Script	lang}}	to me		l	li
Template:Script	lang}}	defect		m	mum
Template:Script	lang}}	great-grandson		n	nin
Template:Script	lang}}	end		s	sof
Template:Script in initial or final word positions	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	Purim-parade		noneTemplate:Ref label	adloyáda		ʿ	ʿadloyádaʿ					only in initial word position Template:IPAblink	main}}
										dialectical Template:IPAslink	{{#invoke:IPA|main}}
Template:Script in medial word positions	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	useful		'	mo'íl		ʿ	moʿíl		Template:IPAslink	main}}
										dialectical Template:IPAslink	main}}
Template:ScriptTemplate:Ref label	lang}}	tip		p	tip
Template:Script	lang}}	missed		f	fisfés
Template:Script	lang}}	bud		ts	tsits		ẓ	ẓiẓ		Template:IPAslink	main}}
Template:Script	lang}}	zip		čTemplate:Ref label<ref name=foreign_sounds/>	ríčrač					Template:IPAslink	main}}
Template:Script	lang}}	sound		k	kol		q	qol
Template:Script	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	city		r	ir								Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink	main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
													dialectical Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink	{{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
Template:Script	lang}}	there		sh	sham		š	šam		Template:IPAslink	main}}
Template:Script	lang}}	put		s	sam		ś	śam
Template:Script	{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}	strawberry		t	tut		t	tuṯ
Template:Script							ṯ

Hebrew letter		Standard Israeli transliteration – regular<ref name=akademya/>		standard Israeli transliteration – precise<ref name=akademya/>		IPA phonemic transcription		IPA phonetic transcription
Template:Script consonantal, in initial word positions		noneTemplate:Ref label						Template:IPAblink
Template:Script consonantal, in non-initial word positions		'		ʾ		Template:IPAslink
Template:Script silent		noneTemplate:Ref label
Template:Script		b
Template:Script		v
Template:Script		g		g
Template:Script				ḡ
Template:Script		ǧTemplate:Ref label<ref name=foreign_sounds/>				Template:IPAslink
Template:Script		d		d
Template:Script				ḏ
Template:Script consonantal		h
Template:Script silent		noneTemplate:Ref label
Template:Script consonantal		v		w
Template:Script		u
Template:Script		o						Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink
Template:Script		z
Template:Script		žTemplate:Ref label<ref name=foreign_sounds/>				Template:IPAslink
Template:Script		ẖTemplate:Ref label		ḥ		Template:IPAslink or Template:IPAslink		Template:IPAblink
						dialectical Template:IPAblink
Template:Script		t		ṭ
Template:Script consonantal		y				Template:IPAslink
Template:Script part of hirik male (/i/ vowel)		i
Template:Script part of tsere male (/e/ vowel or /ei/ diphthong)		e		é		Template:IPAslink or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}		Template:IPAblink or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
Template:Script<ref name="kaf_sofit"/>		k
Template:Script		khTemplate:Ref label		ḵ		Template:IPAslink or Template:IPAslink		Template:IPAblink
Template:Script		l
Template:Script		m
Template:Script		n
Template:Script		s
Template:Script in initial or final word positions		noneTemplate:Ref label		ʿ				only in initial word position Template:IPAblink
						dialectical Template:IPAslink
Template:Script in medial word positions		'		ʿ		Template:IPAslink
						dialectical Template:IPAslink
Template:ScriptTemplate:Ref label		p
Template:Script		f
Template:Script		ts		ẓ		Template:IPAslink
Template:Script		čTemplate:Ref label<ref name=foreign_sounds/>				Template:IPAslink
Template:Script		k		q
Template:Script		r						Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink
								dialectical Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink
Template:Script		sh		š		Template:IPAslink
Template:Script		s		ś
Template:Script		t		t
Template:Script				ṯ

Notes

Template:Note labelTemplate:Note labelTemplate:Note labelTemplate:Note label^{A1^{{#if:| }} 2^{{#if:| }} 3^{{#if:| }} 4^{{#if:| }}} In transliterations of modern Israeli Hebrew, initial and final Template:Script (in regular transliteration), silent or initial Template:Script, and silent Template:Script are not transliterated. To the eye of readers orientating themselves on Latin (or similar) alphabets, these letters might seem to be transliterated as vowel letters; however, these are in fact transliterations of the vowel diacriticsTemplate:Dashniqqud (or are representations of the spoken vowels). E.g., in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("if", {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("mother", {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("nut", {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), the letter Template:Script always represents the same consonant: Template:IPAblink (glottal stop), whereas the vowels /i/, /e/ and /o/ respectively represent the spoken vowel, whether it is orthographically denoted by diacritics or not. Since the Academy of the Hebrew Language ascertains that Template:Script in initial position is not transliterated, the symbol for the glottal stop  ʾ  is omitted from the transliteration, and only the subsequent vowels are transliterated (whether or not their corresponding vowel diacritics appeared in the text being transliterated), resulting in "im", "em" and "om", respectively.

Template:Note labelTemplate:Note labelTemplate:Note label^{B1^{{#if:| }} 2^{{#if:| }} 3^{{#if:| }}} The diacritic geresh ⟨Template:Script⟩ is used with some other letters as well (Template:Script, Template:Script, Template:Script, Template:Script, Template:Script, Template:Script), but only to transliterate from other languages to HebrewTemplate:Dashnever to spell Hebrew words; therefore they were not included in this table (correctly translating a Hebrew text with these letters would require using the spelling in the language from which the transliteration to Hebrew was originally made). The non-standard ⟨Template:Script⟩ and ⟨Template:Script⟩ Template:Ref label are sometimes used to represent Template:IPAslink, which like Template:IPAslink, Template:IPAslink and Template:IPAslink appears in Hebrew slang and loanwords.

Template:Note labelTemplate:Note label^{C1^{{#if:| }} 2^{{#if:| }}} The sound Template:IPAslink (as ⟨ch⟩ in loch) is often transcribed ⟨ch⟩, inconsistently with the guidelines specified by the Academy of the Hebrew Language: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} → "cham"; {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} → "schach".

Template:Note label^{D^{{#if:| }}} Although the Bible does include a single occurrence of a final pe with a dagesh (Book of Proverbs 30, 6: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), in modern Hebrew Template:IPAslink is always represented by pe in its regular, not final, form Template:Script, even when in word-final position, which occurs with loanwords (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "shop"), foreign names (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "Philip") and some slang (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "slept deeply").

Religious use

The letters of the Hebrew alphabet have played varied roles in Jewish religious literature over the centuries, primarily in mystical texts. Some sourcesTemplate:Which in classical rabbinical literature seem to acknowledge the historical provenance of the currently used Hebrew alphabet and deal with them as a mundane subject (the Jerusalem Talmud, for example, records that "the Israelites took for themselves square calligraphy", and that the letters "came with the Israelites from Ashur [Assyria]");<ref>Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 21b</ref> othersTemplate:Which attribute mystical significance to the letters, connecting them with the process of creation or the redemption. In mystical conceptions, the alphabet is considered eternal, pre-existent to the Earth, and the letters themselves are seen as having holiness and power, sometimes to such an extent that several stories from the Talmud illustrate the idea that they cannot be destroyed.<ref>Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Pesach 87b, Avodah Zarah 18a.</ref>

Template:Citation needed span The supposed creative powers of the letters are also referenced in the Talmud and Zohar.<ref>Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot 55c</ref><ref>Zohar 1:3; 2:152</ref>

File:Tefillin.JPG

The four-pronged Shin

Another book, the 13th-century Kabbalistic text Sefer HaTemunah, holds that a single letter of unknown pronunciation, held by some to be the four-pronged shin on one side of the teffilin box, is missing from the current alphabet. The world's flaws, the book teaches, are related to the absence of this letter, the eventual revelation of which will repair the universe.<ref name="ReferenceA">The Book of Letters. Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock. 1990</ref> Another example of messianic significance attached to the letters is the teaching of Rabbi Eliezer that the five letters of the alphabet with distinct final forms hold the "secret of redemption".<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Extensive instructions about the proper methods of forming the letters are found in Mishnat Soferim, within Mishna Berura of Yisrael Meir Kagan.

Mathematical use

{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} In set theory, <math>\aleph_0</math>, pronounced aleph-naught, aleph-zero, or aleph-null, is used to mark the cardinal number of an infinite countable set, such as <math>\mathbb Z</math>, the set of all integers. More generally, the <math>\aleph_\alpha</math> aleph number notation marks the ordered sequence of all distinct infinite cardinal numbers.

Less frequently used, the <math>\beth_\alpha</math> beth number notation is used for the iterated power sets of <math>\aleph_0</math>. The second element <math>\beth_1</math> is the cardinality of the continuum. Very occasionally, a gimel function is used in cardinal notation.

Unicode and HTML

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

File:Hebrew keyboard layout.svg

An example of a Hebrew keyboard

The Unicode Hebrew block extends from U+0590 to U+05FF and from U+FB1D to U+FB4F. It includes letters, ligatures, combining diacritical marks (Niqqud and cantillation marks) and punctuation.<ref name="unicode_names_of_hebrew_glyphs_at_unicode.org" /> The Numeric Character References is included for HTML. These can be used in many markup languages, and they are often used in Wiki to create the Hebrew glyphs compatible with the majority of web browsers.

Standard Hebrew keyboards have a 101-key layout. Like the standard QWERTY layout, the Hebrew layout was derived from the order of letters on Hebrew typewriters.

See also

• Hebrew braille
• Hebrew diacritics
• Cursive Hebrew
• Hebrew punctuation
• Hebrew spelling
• Help:Hebrew
• Inverted nun
• Koren Type
• Ktiv hasar niqqud ("spelling lacking niqqud")
• Significance of numbers of Judaism

Notes

^{a^{{#if:| }}} "Alef-bet" is commonly written in Israeli Hebrew without the Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, "[Hebrew] hyphen"), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, as opposed to with the hyphen, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

^{b^{{#if:| }}} The Arabic letters generally have four forms each, though six of the primary letters can have only two variants, according to their places in words (initial, medial, final, and isolate). The same applies the Mandaic letters, except for three of the 22 letters, which each have only one form.

^{c^{{#if:| }}} In forms of Hebrew older than Modern Hebrew, Template:Script, Template:Script, and Template:Script can only be read b, k and p, respectively, at the beginning of a word, while they will have the sole value of v, kh and f in a sofit (final) position, with few exceptions.<ref name="kaf_sofit"/> In medial positions, both pronunciations are possible. In Modern Hebrew this restriction is not absolute, e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and never {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (= "physicist"), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and never {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (= "snob"). A dagesh may be inserted to unambiguously denote the plosive variant: Template:Script = {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, Template:Script = {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, Template:Script ={{#invoke:IPA|main}}; similarly (though today very rare in Hebrew and common only in Yiddish) a rafé placed above the letter unambiguously denotes the fricative variant: Template:Script = {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, Template:Script = {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and Template:Script = {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. In Modern Hebrew orthography, the sound Template:IPAblink at the end of a word is denoted by the regular form Template:Script, as opposed to the final form Template:Script, which always denotes Template:IPAblink (see table of transliterations and transcriptions, commentTemplate:Ref label).

^{d^{{#if:| }}} However, Template:Script (two separate vavs), used in Ktiv male, is to be distinguished from the Yiddish ligature Template:Script (also two vavs but together as one character).

^{e1^{{#if:| }} e2^{{#if:| }} e3^{{#if:| }} e4^{{#if:| }} e5^{{#if:| }}} The Academy of the Hebrew Language states that both Template:IPAblink and Template:IPAblink be indistinguishably represented in Hebrew using the letter vav.<ref name=akademya/> Sometimes the vav is indeed doubled, however not to denote {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as opposed to {{#invoke:IPA|main}} but rather, when spelling without niqqud, to denote the phoneme /v/ at a non-initial and non-final position in the word, whereas a single vav at a non-initial and non-final position in the word in spelling without niqqud denotes one of the phonemes /u/ or /o/. To pronounce foreign words and loanwords containing the sound Template:IPAblink, Hebrew readers must therefore rely on former knowledge and context.

Explanatory footnotes Template:Notelist

Bibliography

• Template:Cite GHG ff.
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Hoffman, Joel M. 2004. In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language. New York: New York University Press.
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Steinberg, David. History of the Hebrew Language.

External links

General

• How to draw letters
• Official Unicode standards document for Hebrew
• Unicode collation chartsTemplate:Dashincluding Hebrew letters, sorted by shape

Keyboards

• LiteType.comTemplate:DashVirtual & Interactive Hebrew Keyboard
• Mikledet.comTemplate:DashFor typing Hebrew with an English keyboard (Hebrew keyboard|Hebrew layout)
• Prize Find: Oldest Hebrew Inscription Template:Webarchive Biblical Archaeology Review