How to Learn the Hebrew Alphabet Online
Hebrew may seem intimidating, with its letters radically different from English and the fact that it is written from right to left, but it's not difficult to learn the basics of the alphabet. In fact, with only 22 letters the Hebrew alphabet is even a little easier to learn than English, which has 26. Also, every English letter has two forms (lower and uppercase), whereas Hebrew has different forms for only five letters, and these are used only if these letters occur at the end of a word.
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Instructions
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Visit one of the many websites that provide free instruction on the Hebrew alphabet (see Resources) for a graphic representation of the alphabet. One of the more informative sites for beginners is the Ancient Hebrew Research Center.
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Memorize the names and shapes of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Note that there is no "ch" sound (as in "church") in Hebrew, though many websites use "ch" to represent the guttural sound made at the back of the throat (as in the German exclamation "ach"). The first sound in the letter "chet," therefore, sounds a little bit like you're getting ready to spit (but don't, it's considered offensive). Several different traditional pronunciations exist, but for one popular version, see the Ancient Hebrew Alphabet Pronunciation video (see Resources).
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Memorize the five so-called "final" forms: mem, nun, tsade, pey and khaf. These shapes are used only when these letters occur at the end of a word. The Hebrew alphabet does not use a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence or proper noun.
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Tips & Warnings
Note that Hebrew is typically not written with vowels, rather only with consonants. The pronunciation of words requires the addition of the Masoretic "nikkud," a series of symbols that are applied around the letters, but only in very basic texts. Modern Hebrew readers are expected to memorize the appropriate pronunciation of every word. This is a bit more daunting task, but learning the alphabet is the first step.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit hebrew letters and prayer books image by leprechaun from Fotolia.com
