What Do the Letters Mean on the Dreidel?

The dreidel depicts four symbols, which each denote what the player has to do with the chips.

The dreidel is a spinning top used in a game played during the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. There are four standard symbols on it, including nun, gimel, hey and shin. Each symbol tells you how many chips, tokens or coins to take from or add to the pot.

Literal Meaning

The four symbols on the dreidel literally translate to "a great miracle happened there," according to MileChai.com. In Israel, one symbol is replaced with pei, causing the translation to read: "A great miracle happened here."

How to Play

Each player begins with either 10 or 15 coins, chips or gelt, which are chocolate coins, according to MileChai.com. At the beginning of the game, you must put one coin in the pot. Taking turns, each player spins the dreidel. The upturned symbol designates what the player must do with the chips in the pot or the chips in his hand. The game ends when one player holds all the chips.

Symbols

Nun, which looks like an awkward J, simply means the player takes and loses nothing. Gimel, which looks like an upside down Y with a hooked stem, results in the player taking all the chips in the pot. Hey, which looks like a lowercase N, allows the player to take half of the coins in the pot. If the number of coins is odd, players should round up. The last symbol, shin, looks like an upside down U or rainbow, and causes the player to put a coin into the pot.

References

• Mile Chai: What Are the Dreidel Rules?