Vowel points
Niqqud: the signs for vowels, and spelling without them.
Vowel points, niqqud (נִקּוּד), are dots and dashes written under, over or beside the letters to show the vowels. Modern Hebrew has five vowel sounds but more signs than that, because some signs that once sounded different now sound the same.
| Sound | Signs, on מ | Names | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | מַ, מָ | patah, kamats | יָם yam sea |
| e | מֵ, מֶ | tsere, segol | סֵפֶר sefer book |
| i | מִ, מִי | hirik | שִׁיר shir song |
| o | מֹ, מוֹ | holam | טוֹב tov good |
| u | מֻ, מוּ | kubuts, shuruk | שׁוּק shuk market |
A vowel is read after the letter it belongs to: מַ is ma. The one exception is a patah under a final ח, ע or הּ, which is said before it: מַפְתֵּחַ mafte'akh "key", גָּבוֹהַּ gavo'ah "tall". The kamats is read o in some words, as in כָּל kol "all".
Shva
The shva, two dots stacked under a letter (מְ), means either no vowel or a short e.
- In the middle of a word after a vowel, it is silent: מִכְתָּב mikhtav, יַלְדָּה yalda.
- At the start of a word it is often silent too: כְּתֹבֶת ktovet, גְּדוֹלָה gdola, שְׁמוֹנֶה shmone.
- It is a short e at the start of a word in three cases: on ל, מ, נ, ר or י; when the next letter is א, ה or ע; and on the one-letter prefixes: יְלָדִים yeladim, מְדַבֵּר medaber, רְחוֹב rekhov, שְׁאֵלוֹת she'elot, בְּבַקָּשָׁה bevakasha.
- The second of two shvas in a row is a short e, since three consonants can't run together: יִשְׂרְאֵלִי yisre'eli, יִכְתְּבוּ yikhtevu.
The last letter of a word has no shva written, except final ך (ךְ), the past-tense ending ־ְתְּ for "you" to a woman (כָּתַבְתְּ katavt) and a few words such as אַתְּ at "you".
Hataf vowels
The throat letters א, ה, ח and ע take a hataf vowel where other letters would have a pronounced shva. It is a shva joined with another vowel, and is read as that vowel, short.
| Sign | Name | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֲ | hataf patah | a | אֲנִי ani I |
| אֱ | hataf segol | e | אֱמֶת emet truth |
| אֳ | hataf kamats | o | חֳדָשִׁים khodashim months |
Full and defective spelling
Without points, Hebrew writes extra ו and י to show vowels. This is full spelling, כְּתִיב מָלֵא ktiv male, the normal spelling in Modern Hebrew. Pointed text leaves many of them out, since the points already show the vowels.
| Pointed | Without points | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| דִּבֵּר | דיבר | diber, he spoke |
| שֻׁלְחָן | שולחן | shulkhan, table |
| כְּתֹבֶת | כתובת | ktovet, address |
| סִפּוּר | סיפור | sipur, story |
| חֹדֶשׁ | חודש | khodesh, month |
A consonant ו in the middle of a word is doubled in full spelling, so it isn't read as a vowel: תִּקְוָה tikva "hope" is written תקווה.
Where you'll see points
- Children's books, poetry, the Bible and prayer books.
- Textbooks and dictionaries for learners.
- Now and then on a single letter of a word, to show which of two readings is meant.
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.
What is נִקּוּד (nikud)?
Vowel points, or niqqud: dots and dashes around the letters that show the vowels.
Is a vowel point said before or after the letter it belongs to?
After it: מַ is ma.
What vowel do the patah מַ and the kamats מָ both stand for?
a, as in father.
What vowel do the tsere מֵ and the segol מֶ stand for?
e, as in bed.
How do you tell וֹ (o) from וּ (u)?
A dot on top (holam) is o; a dot in the middle (shuruk) is u.
What does the shva, two dots stacked under a letter (מְ), stand for?
Either no vowel or a short e.
When is a shva at the start of a word said as a short e?
On ל, מ, נ, ר, י; when followed by א, ה, ע; and on one-letter prefixes.
Which letters take a hataf vowel like אֲ where other letters would have a spoken shva?
The throat letters א, ה, ח and ע.
Which letters does full spelling (כְּתִיב מָלֵא, ktiv male) add to show vowels when there are no points?
Extra ו and י.
How is a consonant ו (v) in the middle of a word written in full spelling?
Doubled: וו.