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Aleph-Bet
Learning to Write the
Aleph-Bet
in Block & Cursive
by
Tim Hegg

1999 All rights reserved

The Aleph-Bet

- Aleph Aleph has no sound of its own but

originally was a glottal stop, like
the beginning sound of uh-huh.

- Aleph (cursive)

- Bet Bet has two different sounds, B = b

= v
if it has a dot (dagesh) in it [ ]and
V if it does not have dagesh []

- Bet (cursive) 1999 All rights reserved


The Aleph-Bet

- Gimmel Gammal in Hebrew means camel.

=G
Does the shape of the Gimmel re-
mind you of a camel?

- Gimmel (cursive)
Gimmel sounds like G as in go

Horizontal stroke extends past the

- Dalet Dalet makes the sound of D as

in dog
vertical leg of the letter

=D
- Dalet (cursive) 1999 All rights reserved


The Aleph-Bet

Vowel signs ()
Vowel signs are written:
Under the letter Beside the letter Under & beside the letter

Two vowels which say a as in father

qametz patach

Two vowels which say ee as in feet

chiriq qatan chiriq gadol

Two vowels which say o as in hole

1999 All rights reserved

cholam cholam vav


The Aleph-Bet

be sure there is a break here

- Hey Hey sounds like H as in hat,

but at the end of a word it is
silent. =H
- Hey (cursive)

be sure the top stroke does not go

- Vav Vav sounds like the letter V,

and sometimes a vav is used to
indicate a vowel.
past the horizontal leg

=V
- Vav (cursive) 1999 All rights reserved


The Aleph-Bet

the horizontal stroke goes

- Zayin Zayin sounds like the Z

beyond the verticle leg

in Zoo
=Z
- Zayin (cursive)

Note:

- Chet Chet sounds like the rough,
no gap like the

German ch in Ach!. It sounds

like an h with the throat closed.
= ch
- Chet (cursive) Note:
no foot like the 1999 All rights reserved


The Aleph-Bet

More vowel signs ()

Two vowels which say oo as in food

Qibutz Shuruq

Vowel which says long a as in fate

or short e as

in get Tzayreh

Vowel which says short e as in get

Seghol

Vowel which makes a quick short e

sound, as in petunia or is silent
1999 All rights reserved

Sheva


The Aleph-Bet

- Tet Tet sounds like the t in toy

=t
- Tet (cursive)

- Yod Yod sounds like the letter y in

yes and sometimes is used as a
vowel letter.
=y
- Yod (cursive)
1999 All rights reserved


The Aleph-Bet

Kaf sounds like the when it is

/ - Kaf/Kaf soffit written without dagesh, and like

the letter k when written with
dagesh. Final kaf has the same
sounds as initial or medial kaf.

/ - Kaf (cursive) = ch = k
Note: base horizontal does not extend
beyond the verticle

- Lamed =L
- Lamed (cursive) 1999 All rights reserved


The Aleph-Bet

/ - Mem/Mem soffit =M
Note that the mem soffit

/ - Mem (cursive) has a flat baseline with-

out the corners rounded.

/ - Nun/Nun soffit =N

/ - Nun (cursive) Note that the nun soffit is longer

than the vav ( , )which is the
only way it is distinguished
1999 All rights reserved

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The Aleph-Bet

=S
- Samech Note that the samech has a rounded
baseline or corners which are cut
off, distinquishing it from the mem

- Samech (cursive) soffit

mem soffit

samech

Ayin is a SILENT LETTER,

-Ayin though in ancient times it may

have had a deep, glottal stop,
somewhat like the stopped throaty
sound in uh-huh. In Arabic the
the equivalent letter is a throaty

- Ayin (cursive) G sound.

1999 All rights reserved

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The Aleph-Bet

/ - Peh/Peh soffit = ph = p
/ - Peh (cursive) Note that the peh soffit cursive has the
final tale curling downward and back
toward the verticle stroke

/ - Tzadi/Tzadi soffit = tz
Note that the tzadi soffit cursive

/ - Tzadi (cursive) has the final tale curling upward

1999 All rights reserved

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The Aleph-Bet

- Kof =K
- Kof (cursive)

- Resh =R
- Resh (cursive) Note that the horizontal stroke of the resh
does not cross the verticle stroke as is the
case in the letter dalet

dalet resh
1999 All rights reserved

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The Aleph-Bet

/ - Seen/Sheen = S, = Sh
- Seen/Sheen (cursive) Note: in cursive if no dot is
written the letter is assumed
to be a Sheen

- Tav = T
- Tav (cursive)
Note the similarities between

break h
e
y
no break

c
h
e
t
t
a
v

no foot foot
1999 All rights reserved

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The Aleph-Bet

Complete Aleph/Bet
/ /
/ /

/ / /
/ / /

Vowels
/ = patach/qametz a as in
father
/ = chiriq qatan/chiriq
gadol ee as in feet
/ = cholem/cholem vav
long o as in hole
/ = qibbutz/shuruq oo as
in food
= tzere a as in fate or
e as in get
= sheva very short e as
in petunia
/ = ai as in aisle
= same as simple patach
a
= same as simple
qametz a sometimes
long o
= same as simple
seghol e
1999 All rights reserved

= seghol short e as in
get

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The Aleph-Bet

Additional Vowels
= ay as in say
= chataf patach same as simple
patach
= chametz chatuf sometimes
long o, often same as simple
chametz
= same as simple seghol

1999 All rights reserved

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