How to write your name using Hebrew letters
Hebrew is an ancient language that has been revived for use in modern times. Today people speak, read, write and study Hebrew for many reasons including the desire to study biblical texts in the original language and visit Hebrew. While Hebrew may initially appear very different than English, upon closer examination you will discover many similarities. Becoming familiar with Hebrew lettering and pronunciation makes it easier to write any name using Hebrew letters.
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Instructions
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Obtain a copy of the Hebrew alphabet. You can find the hebrew alphabet and corresponding sounds on many websites such as jewfaq.com and hebrew4christians.com. The Hebrew alphabet is known as the aleph-bet in Hebrew. Hebrew has 22 consonants. Five of them appear in different form when used at the end of a word. Vowels are indicated using a system of dots and dashes added at the bottom of a word.
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Determine if there is a Hebrew version of your name. Many English names have Hebrew equivalents. For example the English name Rebecca is rendered in Hebrew as Rivka. Chana is the Hebrew version of Hannah and Yonaton the Hebrew equivalent of Jonathan. Once you've found out if there is a Hebrew name that corresponds to your name, you can then look up how the Hebrew name is spelled in Hebrew.
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Translate the letters of your name (or the letters of your Hebrew name) to their Hebrew equivalents. Hebrew has equivalents for many English sounds. Some letters and sound do not have an exact match but can be approximated. The letters J, W and X, for example, have no exact matches in Hebrew. Use the letter yod in place of a J to give you an approximately similar sound. W can be represented by the letter vov and X by the tzadi or tz sound. The consonant blends ch as in Charlie and th as in Thea can also be approximated. Use the tzadi for a ch sound and the letter tav for a th sound.
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Use these letters to create your name, going from right to left. Hebrew, unlike English, is read from right to left. Written Hebrew can be divided into two basic forms: print lettering and script. Printed Hebrew is known as square print or block print. This form is used for printed documents such as newspapers and books. A second form of Hebrew lettering is comparable to English cursive. Cursive or script is used for hand written documents. The letters resemble block print but have slightly different forms.
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References
- Photo Credit hebrew letters and prayer books image by leprechaun from Fotolia.com
