Reading Hebrew
Right to left, 22 letters, mostly without vowels.
Hebrew is written and read from right to left. The alphabet, the alef-bet, has 22 letters, and all of them are consonants. There are no capital letters, so names and sentence starts look like any other word.
Numbers are the exception: digits run left to right, as in English, even inside a Hebrew sentence.
Short words like "and", "the" and "in" are a single letter written joined to the next word; see One-letter words.
Final forms
Five letters take a different shape at the end of a word. They sound the same as the ordinary letter.
| Letter | Final | Example |
|---|---|---|
| כ | ך | מֶלֶךְ melekh king |
| מ | ם | שָׁלוֹם shalom peace, hello |
| נ | ן | בֵּן ben son |
| פ | ף | כֶּסֶף kesef money |
| צ | ץ | אֶרֶץ erets country |
Letters that are also vowels
Four letters also stand for vowels. They are what makes text without vowel points readable.
| Letter | As a consonant | As a vowel |
|---|---|---|
| א | carries a vowel: אָב av father | silent after a vowel: לֹא lo no |
| ה | h: הַר har mountain | -a or -e at the end of a word: יַלְדָּה yalda girl |
| ו | v: וֶרֶד vered rose | o or u: שָׁלוֹם shalom, הוּא hu he |
| י | y: יָם yam sea | i: מִי mi who |
Reading without vowels
Books, newspapers, signs and phones show Hebrew without vowel points. Readers know the words, and the vowel letters and the context fill in the rest. The letters ספר alone can be סֵפֶר sefer "book", סָפַר safar "he counted" or סַפָּר sapar "barber"; in a sentence only one fits.
Children's books, poetry, prayer books and texts for learners add the points. See Vowel points.
The dot in ב, כ, פ
A dot inside ב, כ or פ, called a dagesh, makes them b, k and p. Without it they are v, kh and f. At the start of a word they usually have the dot.
| With the dot | Without |
|---|---|
| בּ b: בַּיִת bayit house | ב v: כָּתַב katav he wrote |
| כּ k: כֶּלֶב kelev dog | כ kh: מִכְתָּב mikhtav letter |
| פּ p: פֶּה pe mouth | פ f: סֵפֶר sefer book |
ש works the same way with a dot on top: שׁ on the right is sh, שׂ on the left is s. Unpointed text leaves all these dots out, so you learn each word's sound.
Handwriting
Everyday handwriting uses a cursive script whose letters look quite different from print. Learn to read print first; cursive comes later.
Geresh and gershayim
A geresh ׳ after a letter gives it a sound Hebrew didn't have, for loanwords and foreign names.
A geresh also marks a letter used as a number: יוֹם א׳ yom alef, "day 1", is Sunday. The gershayim ״, a double mark before the last letter, marks an abbreviation:
| Abbreviation | Said | Short for |
|---|---|---|
| צה״ל | tsahal | צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, the Israel Defense Forces |
| ת״א | tel aviv | תֵּל אָבִיב, Tel Aviv |
| ד״ר | doktor | דּוֹקְטוֹר, doctor (Dr.) |
When typing, people often use the plain ' and " instead.
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Getting started cards.
In which direction is a line of Hebrew read?
From right to left.
Which five Hebrew letters change shape at the end of a word?
כ מ נ פ צ, which become ך ם ן ף ץ.
How do you tell ד (d) from ר (r)?
ד has a sharp corner sticking out at the top right; ר is rounded.
How do you tell ה (h) from ח (kh)?
ה has a gap between its left leg and the top; ח is closed.
Which four Hebrew letters can also stand for vowels?
א, ה, ו and י.
How do readers know the vowels in Hebrew written without vowel points?
From knowing the words, the vowel letters and the context.
What does a dot (dagesh) inside ב, כ or פ do?
It makes them b, k and p; without it they're v, kh and f.
What does the position of the dot on ש tell you?
Its sound: on the right (שׁ) it's sh; on the left (שׂ) it's s.
What does a geresh ׳ after a letter like ג do?
It gives the letter a sound Hebrew lacks: ג׳ is j.
What does the double mark ״ (gershayim) inside a word show?
That the word is an abbreviation.