10/26/2017 Transliterating English into Hebrew

Hebrew Consonants -
Transliterating English Words into Hebrew

Hebrew, unlike English, is spelled exactly as it sounds (or conversely, it sounds exactly as it is
spelled). Therefore, to represent an English word, you first must spell the word in simplified
English phonetics and then convert this into Hebrew.

1. Hebrew consonants with the same sounds:

Some Hebrew consonants sound alike in Modern Hebrew. In those cases where you are
unsure which letter to use, follow these guidelines:

For a "v" sound, always use Vav ( ) and never Vet ( ). Note that if the Vav would
likely be mistaken for a vowel, use Yod Yod ( ).
For a "t" sound, always use Tet ( ) and never Tav ( ).
For an "s" sound, always use Samech ( ) and never Sin ( ).

For a "k" sound, always use Qof ( ) and never Kaf ( ).

2. English sounds with no Hebrew equivalent:

There are some English sounds that have no Hebrew equivalent. In those cases where
you are unsure which letter to use, follow these guidelines:

For a "th" sound, use Tav ( ).

For an "x" sound, use Qof Samech ( ).
For a "w" sound, use Vav Vav ( ).
For a "qu" sound, use Qof Vav ( ).

Some English letters have no exact equivalent in Hebrew. In this case, a small mark
similar to an apostrophe (called a Geresh) tells the reader that there is something
unusual. With certain letters in a foreign word, the Geresh indicates these foreign
sounds:

For a "j" sound, use Gimmel-Geresh ( ).

For a "ch" (as in "Charlie") sound, use Tsade-Geresh ( ).
For a "zh" (as in "garage") sound, use Zayin-Geresh ( ).

3. Indicating vowels:
Foreign words need special hints to show the vowel sounds, especially without nikkudot
(vowel marks). Short, unstressed vowels are not usually represented with vowel letters,
and usually can be easily guessed. When a more significant stressed or long vowel is
used, it should be indicated:

For "o" and "u" sounds, use Vav ( ).

For "ee," "y," and short "i" (as in "pit") sounds, use Yod ( ).
Occasionally, an Aleph ( ) can be inserted to represent an "ah" sound to add
clarity.

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10/26/2017 Transliterating English into Hebrew

To represent long "i" as in "find" or diphthongs like "ai" as in "aisle" or ay as in

"pray," use Yod-Yod ( ).
For an ah sound at the end of the word, use Hey ( ). (This usually indicates that a
noun is feminine. If it needs to be masculine, use Aleph ( ) instead.)
To begin a word with a vowel, use Alpeh ( ) or Ayin ( ).

JavaScript Applet

Here is a link to a site that will transliterate English words into Hebrew. Note, however, that
this site will list various possibilities, so be sure to use simplified English phonetics when
running the conversion.

Return to Unit One

Hebrew for Christians

Copyright John J. Parsons
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