Hebrew Alphabet | האלפבית העברי
The Hebrew alphabet consists of 22 letters and is written from right to left. It is used to write Hebrew and Yiddish languages.
א
Alef
ʾ
ב
Bet
b/v
ג
Gimel
g
ד
Dalet
d
ה
He
h
ו
Vav
v
ז
Zayin
z
ח
Het
ḥ
ט
Tet
ṭ
י
Yod
y
כ
Kaf
k/kh
ל
Lamed
l
מ
Mem
m
נ
Nun
n
ס
Samekh
s
ע
Ayin
ʿ
פ
Pe
p/f
צ
Tsadi
ts
ק
Qof
q
ר
Resh
r
ש
Shin
sh/s
ת
Tav
t
Download Alphabet Chart
About the Hebrew Alphabet
The Hebrew alphabet is used primarily to write Hebrew and Yiddish. It is also used in some forms of Aramaic and Ladino. The script is an abjad, meaning it primarily represents consonants, with vowels indicated by diacritical marks called niqqud.
History
The Hebrew alphabet developed from the Aramaic alphabet during the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). The modern Hebrew script, also known as the Jewish script or square script, has been used since the 5th century BCE. The alphabet has remained remarkably stable throughout history, with only minor changes in letter forms.
Key Features
- Written from right to left
- 22 letters in the alphabet
- Five letters have special final forms
- Abjad system (primarily consonants)
- Vowels indicated by optional diacritical marks (niqqud)
- No distinction between upper and lower case