How to Write English Names in Hebrew Letters

Hebrew is written from right to left instead of from left to right, as English is.

The process of writing a word in one language using the alphabet of another is called transliteration. To transliterate an English name into Hebrew, you must choose the Hebrew letters which most closely approximate the sounds in that name. If an English sound has no equivalent, you must choose a similar sound or examine other Hebrew-to-English transliterations to see which Hebrew sound is most often translated as that English letter. For example, the English "j" sound, which does not exist in Hebrew, often will be replaced by the "y" sound of the letter "yod" in transliterated names such as Joshua.

Instructions

1. Decide whether you want to write in ancient or modern Hebrew. Traditional Hebrew writing contains no vowels. The vowel sounds were simply understood by native Hebrew speakers. Modern Hebrew, however, contains vowel points called "nikkud."

2. Substitute the first letter of your name with the Hebrew letter that approximates that sound. Hebrew is written from right to left instead of from left to right (like English is) so write this letter on the right-hand side of the page.

3. Repeat this process with all subsequent consonants. Write each letter to the left of the last.

4. Write the vowel marks underneath the consonant that proceeds it, if you wish to write in modern Hebrew. For instance, to write the name Mary, you would write the "a" mark underneath the "M" and the long "e" sound made by the letter "y" underneath the "r."

Tips & Warnings

• Ignore the capitalization at the beginning of English names. Hebrew has no equivalent to capitalization.

References

• Judaism 101: Hebrew Alphabet