Hebrew Letters

Hebrew Letters: A Complete Beginner’s Visual Guide Learning the Hebrew alphabet is your first step toward reading a beautiful and ancient language. The Hebrew alphabet is called the Aleph-Bet. It has 22 letters. It looks different from English, but you can learn it quickly.

Here is a quick look at all the letters together on a handy chart: 👁️ Core Rules to Remember First

Before looking at each letter, you must know three simple rules:

Right to Left: Hebrew is read from right to left. This is the opposite of English.

No Regular Vowels: The letters are mostly consonants. Vowels are small dots and lines added under or inside the letters.

Look-Alike Letters: Some letters look very similar. You must look closely at the sharp corners or round edges to tell them apart. 🅰️ The 22 Hebrew Letters

Here is every letter in the Hebrew alphabet. You will see how it looks, how to say it, and a visual memory trick to help you remember it. Aleph (א)

Sound: Silent. It takes the sound of whatever vowel is next to it. Visual Trick: It looks like an “X” with a tilted bar. Bet / Vet (ב)

Sound: “B” as in boy (if it has a dot inside) or “V” as in vine (with no dot).

Visual Trick: It looks like a house with a flat Bottom floor. Gimel (ג) Sound: “G” as in give.

Visual Trick: It looks like a person’s Glimmering leg taking a step forward. Dalet (ד) Sound: “D” as in door. Visual Trick: It looks like the corner of a Doorframe. Sound: “H” as in house.

Visual Trick: It looks like a gap that lets out a breath of Here. Sound: “V” as in voice.

Visual Trick: It looks like a straight, skinny Vine or a pole. Zayin (ז) Sound: “Z” as in zebra.

Visual Trick: It looks like a sword with a small handle at the top.

Sound: A clearing-the-throat “ch” sound, like in the word “Loch.”

Visual Trick: It looks like a Heavy stone wall with no openings. Sound: “T” as in tall.

Visual Trick: It looks like a cup or a Teacup open at the top. Sound: “Y” as in yellow.

Visual Trick: It is the smallest letter. It looks like a tiny Yo-yo floating in the air. Kaf / Chaf (כ) Sound: “K” as in keep (with a dot) or “Ch” (with no dot). Visual Trick: It looks like a curved Cup. Lamed (ל) Sound: “L” as in letter.

Visual Trick: It is the tallest letter. It looks like a Long lightning bolt reaching up high. Sound: “M” as in mother.

Visual Trick: It looks like an Mountain peak with a small open gap. Sound: “N” as in night. Visual Trick: It looks like a Narrow chair. Samech (ס) Sound: “S” as in sit. Visual Trick: It looks like a round, closed Sircle.

Sound: Silent. Just like Aleph, it takes the sound of its vowel.

Visual Trick: It looks like a “Y” stretching its arms to the sky. Pey / Fey (פ)

Sound: “P” as in pie (with a dot) or “F” as in fish (with no dot).

Visual Trick: It looks like a profile of a face with a Pointy nose. Tsadi (צ) Sound: “Ts” as in cats. Visual Trick: It looks like a Tsunami wave crashing. Sound: “K” as in queen.

Visual Trick: It looks like a “P” or a Quick line dropping below the baseline. Sound: “R” as in race. Visual Trick: It looks like a Rounded bend in a road. Shin / Sin (ש)

Sound: “Sh” as in shoe (dot on right) or “S” as in sun (dot on left). Visual Trick: It looks like a trident with Sharp points. Sound: “T” as in tall.

Visual Trick: It looks like Dalet but has a little Toe or foot on the left side. 🔲 Special Letters: The Sofit Forms

Five Hebrew letters change their shape when they are the very last letter of a word. These are called Sofit (so-FEET) or “final” letters. They usually drop down long and straight under the baseline. Regular Letter Final (Sofit) Letter Chaf Sofit (ך) Mem Sofit (ם) Nun Sofit (ן) Fey Sofit (ף) Tsadi (צ) Tsadi Sofit (ץ) 👁️ Watch Out for These Look-Alikes!

Some letters look so similar they might trick your eyes. Use this quick comparison to avoid mistakes:

ב (Bet) vs. כ (Kaf): Bet has a sharp corner and a flat bottom floor. Kaf is completely round.

ד (Dalet) vs. ר (Resh): Dalet has a sharp, square corner at the top right. Resh is smooth and round.

ה (Hey) vs. ח (Chet): Hey has a small gap in the top left corner. Chet is completely closed up.

ו (Vav) vs. ז (Zayin): Vav is a simple straight line. Zayin has a tilted cap on top. If you want to practice more, tell me: