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The Hebrew Alphabet: A Complete Guide for Beginners

The Hebrew alphabet (אָלֶף‑בֵּית עִבְרִי, alef-bet) is a 22-letter consonantal writing system written right to left. Below: every letter with its transliteration and sound, the five final (sofit) forms, a short note on vowel points, and practical tips for where to start.

Hebrew for Beginners · updated 2026-09-25

How many letters are in the Hebrew alphabet

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, and all of them represent consonant sounds. There are no separate letters for vowels: instead, vowels are shown with niqqud (small marks above and below letters), or with a handful of letters (א, ה, ו, י) that act as vowels in certain positions. Everyday texts — news, books, apps — are almost never fully vowelled, so reading without niqqud is a core skill, not an optional extra.

Letter table: names, transliteration and sound

Letters are listed in the traditional order, from alef to tav. Five letters have a separate final (sofit) form used only at the end of a word.

Final (sofit) forms

Five letters — כ (kaf), מ (mem), נ (nun), פ (pe), צ (tsadi) — change shape at the end of a word: כ → ך, מ → ם, נ → ן, פ → ף, צ → ץ. The sound stays the same, only the shape changes. It's the one exception to “one letter, one shape” in Hebrew, so it's worth learning alongside the regular form of each letter rather than as a separate topic later.

Vowel points (niqqud)

Niqqud is a system of dots and marks placed above and below letters to show vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u. Fully-vowelled text mostly appears in beginner textbooks, children's books and prayer texts. Adult native speakers read unvowelled text, relying on context and word knowledge — so the beginner's real goal isn't to “learn niqqud” but to move to reading ordinary text as quickly as possible.

Hebrew is written right to left

Lines run right to left, while numbers inside the text — as in English — run left to right. This feels odd for the first few days but stops being an issue after about a week of practice: the eye and hand adjust quickly, especially if you start with short words rather than long paragraphs.

How to learn the alphabet: practical tips

• Learn letters in groups of 4–5 rather than all 22 at once — it's far easier to hold in memory.
• Learn a letter's sofit form together with its regular form when it has one — learning them separately just makes the process longer.
• Say the letters out loud: auditory memory works as well as visual memory for Hebrew, especially for letters that look similar (e.g. ב and כ, ר and ד).
• Review letters you already know after a day, after three days, after a week — spaced repetition works for the alphabet just as well as it does for vocabulary.
• Once you know the first 8–10 letters, start reading short, familiar words — it reinforces letters far better than isolated repetition.

FAQ

How many letters are in the Hebrew alphabet?

22 letters, and all of them are consonants. Vowel sounds aren't usually written as separate letters — they're shown with niqqud (vowel points) or with a few “helper” letters (א, ה, ו, י).

What are sofit (final) letters?

Sofit forms are special shapes used only at the end of a word for five letters (כ, מ, נ, פ, צ): ך, ם, ן, ף, ץ. They sound exactly like the regular form of the letter — only the shape changes.

How long does it take to learn the alphabet?

With short, regular practice — 10–15 minutes a day — most people can recognise all 22 letters and their final forms within 1–2 weeks. Reading whole words confidently usually takes another week or two.