Torah r esource.

com
Resources & eLearning for the Torah Community

Aleph-Bet
Learning to Write the
Aleph-Bet
in Block & Cursive
by
Tim Hegg

1999 All rights reserved

The Aleph-Bet

- Aleph
- Aleph (cursive)

Aleph has no sound of its own but

originally was a glottal stop, like
the beginning sound of uh-huh.

- Bet
- Bet (cursive)

Bet has two different sounds, B

if it has a dot (dagesh) in it [ ]and
V if it does not have dagesh []

= b
= v

1999 All rights reserved

The Aleph-Bet

- Gimmel
=G
- Gimmel (cursive)
Gammal in Hebrew means camel.
Does the shape of the Gimmel remind you of a camel?
Gimmel sounds like G as in go

Dalet makes the sound of D as
in dog

=D

1999 All rights reserved

- Dalet
- Dalet (cursive)

Horizontal stroke extends past the

vertical leg of the letter

The Aleph-Bet

Vowel signs ()
Vowel signs are written:
Under the letter

Beside the letter

Under & beside the letter

Two vowels which say a as in father

qametz

patach

Two vowels which say ee as in feet

chiriq qatan

chiriq gadol

cholam

cholam vav



1999 All rights reserved

Two vowels which say o as in hole

The Aleph-Bet
be sure there is a break here

- Hey
- Hey (cursive)

Hey sounds like H as in hat,

but at the end of a word it is
silent.

- Vav
- Vav (cursive)

Vav sounds like the letter V,

and sometimes a vav is used to
indicate a vowel.

be sure the top stroke does not go

past the horizontal leg

=V

1999 All rights reserved

=H

The Aleph-Bet

- Zayin
- Zayin (cursive)

Zayin sounds like the Z

in Zoo

- Chet
- Chet (cursive)

Chet sounds like the rough,

German ch in Ach!. It sounds
like an h with the throat closed.

=Z

Note:
no gap like the

= ch
Note:
no foot like the

1999 All rights reserved

the horizontal stroke goes

beyond the verticle leg

The Aleph-Bet

More vowel signs ()

Two vowels which say oo as in food

Qibutz

Shuruq

Vowel which says long a as in fate

or short e as
in get

Tzayreh

Vowel which says short e as in get

Vowel which makes a quick short e

sound, as in petunia or is silent

Sheva


1999 All rights reserved

Seghol

The Aleph-Bet

- Tet
- Tet (cursive)

Tet sounds like the t in toy

- Yod
- Yod (cursive)

Yod sounds like the letter y in

yes and sometimes is used as a
vowel letter.

=y

1999 All rights reserved

=t

The Aleph-Bet
Kaf sounds like the when it is
written without dagesh, and like
the letter k when written with
dagesh. Final kaf has the same
sounds as initial or medial kaf.

/ - Kaf/Kaf soffit
/ - Kaf (cursive) = ch = k
Note: base horizontal does not extend
beyond the verticle

- Lamed
- Lamed (cursive)

=L

1999 All rights reserved

The Aleph-Bet

/ - Mem/Mem soffit
/ - Mem (cursive)

/ - Nun/Nun soffit
/ - Nun (cursive)

Note that the mem soffit

has a flat baseline without the corners rounded.

=N
Note that the nun soffit is longer
than the vav ( , )which is the
only way it is distinguished

10

1999 All rights reserved

=M

The Aleph-Bet

- Samech
- Samech (cursive)

mem soffit

samech

Ayin is a SILENT LETTER,
though in ancient times it may
have had a deep, glottal stop,
somewhat like the stopped throaty
sound in uh-huh. In Arabic the
the equivalent letter is a throaty
G sound.

-Ayin
- Ayin (cursive)

Note that the samech has a rounded

baseline or corners which are cut
off, distinquishing it from the mem
soffit

11

1999 All rights reserved

=S

The Aleph-Bet

/ - Peh/Peh soffit
/ - Peh (cursive)

= ph = p
Note that the peh soffit cursive has the
final tale curling downward and back
toward the verticle stroke

/ - Tzadi/Tzadi soffit
/ - Tzadi (cursive)

= tz

Note that the tzadi soffit cursive

has the final tale curling upward

12

1999 All rights reserved

The Aleph-Bet

- Kof
=K
- Kof (cursive)

=R

- Resh
- Resh (cursive)

Note that the horizontal stroke of the resh

does not cross the verticle stroke as is the
case in the letter dalet

dalet

resh

13

1999 All rights reserved

The Aleph-Bet

/ - Seen/Sheen = S, = Sh
- Seen/Sheen (cursive)
Note: in cursive if no dot is
written the letter is assumed
to be a Sheen

= T
- Tav
- Tav (cursive)

Note the similarities between

no break

no foot

h
e
y

c
h
e
t

t
a
v

foot

14

1999 All rights reserved

break

The Aleph-Bet

Complete Aleph/Bet

/ /
/ /
/ / /
/ / /
Vowels

sheva very short e as

in petunia
/ = ai as in aisle
=
same as simple patach

a
= same as simple

qametz a sometimes

long o
= same as simple

seghol e

15

1999 All rights reserved

/ = patach/qametz a as in
father
/ = chiriq qatan/chiriq
gadol ee as in feet
/ = cholem/cholem vav
long o as in hole
/ = qibbutz/shuruq oo as
in food
= tzere a as in fate or
e as in get
= seghol short e as in
get

The Aleph-Bet

Additional Vowels

= ay as in say
= chataf patach same as simple
patach
= chametz chatuf sometimes
long o, often same as simple
chametz

16

1999 All rights reserved

= same as simple seghol