Sounds of Hebrew

Updated by Raz:

7/10/2005

Number of visits:

Source:

http://www.geocities.com/raz_h_h

Following are the Hebrew letters and vowel symbols with the Hebrew official Romanization, the corresponding international phonetic script (by IPA), explanation for pronunciation and example words with sound (audio files).

For proper display of the international phonetic symbols please download and install the IPA's Phonetic font.

For proper display of the Hebrew letters and symbols (type & handwriting) please download and install Hebrew fonts.

** Hebrew script is written right-to-left and includes a typing set (traditional “square letters” or “Aramaic letters”) and a handwriting set (modern). These are different than the ancient Hebrew letters (“Canaanite”, which are the origin of western letters including Greek, Roman and Arabic).

** Three letters have two sound versions – stressed (dotted) and unstressed (b/v, k/kh, p/f). Another letter has two sound versions (s/sh). These dots are commonly omitted. Five letters have two shapes – a regular shape (hereby to the right) and an end-of-word shape (hereby to the left).

** Hebrew pronunciation includes two common styles – Oriental and common-modern, as well as other styles.
The oriental style (hereby to the left) is believed to be closer to the origins while the common-modern style (hereby to the right) is the most common one in modern Israel.

** Alternative pronunciations of smaller groups [×] or older times (×) are added, however these are very rare or not in use anymore!

Hebrew official

Intl. phonetic Oriental / Common *

Sound example

Explanation
Oriental / Common *

Letters (Consonants)
Handwriting & Typing *

None,
if needed:
’ or '

Ö (compare: ‘ )

or {ÖoÉ‘}

Glottal stop (like the beginning of words beginning with a,e,i,o,u)

א

bar {baò‘}

Like English b

בּ

zav {tsaòv}

Like English v

g ( gÛ )

gar {ýaò‘}

Like g in English “go”

ג

d ( d )

dar {daò‘}

Like English d

h (compare: h )

har {haò‘}

Like h in English “he”

ה

v [w] (w)

zaw {tsaòv}

Like English v [(w)]

z (dz) (compare: z )

zar {zaò‘}

Like English z (like z in Italian “zio”)

ז

h / h ̣

þ/Å (compare: kh/h )

mahar{maòþaò‘}

Pharyngal fricative like in Arabic /
Uvular fricative as in German “Bach”

ח

t / t ̣

tú [t Õ] (t Õ)

Like English aspirated t
[(non-aspirated ejective t)]

yam {jaòm}

Like y in English “you”

kú

kar {kúaò‘}

Like English aspirated k

כּ

kh / k

Å (compare: h )

makhar{maòÅa‘}

Uvular-fricative as in German “Bach”

כ ך

l

gal {ýaòl}

Similar to English L but less rounded

ל

gam {ýaòm}

Like English m

מ ם

gan {ýaòn}

Like n in English “no”

נ ן

s (s°)

sar {saò‘}

Like s in English “bus” (more-dental s)

‘ or ` or '

À/Ö (compare: “none”)

‘or {ÀoÉ‘}

Pharingal stop like in Arabic / Glottal stop

ע

pú

par {púaò‘}

Like English aspirated p

פּ

zaf {tsaòf}

Like f in English “if”

פ ף

ts [s] (tû) (compare: z )

zav {tsaòv}

Like ts in English “its” [s] (t + lateral fricative)

צ ץ

kú [q] (kÕ)

qar {kúaò‘}

Like English aspirated k [Voiceless uvular plosive] (non-aspirated k)

è™/è [‘] [ä/r]

ram {‘aòm}

Pharingalized / voiced uvular fricative
[uvular trill] [alveolar flap / alveolar trill]

sh / š

shar {§aò‘}

Like English sh

שׁ

s / ś

s (û)

sar {saò‘}

Like s in English “bus” (lateral fricative)

שׂ

t ( t )

tú [s°]** [θ] (t°)

tar {túaò‘}

Like English aspirated t [dental s]**
[like th in English “thin”] (dental t)

Hebrew official

International phonetic

Explanation

Foreign consonants
Typing & Handwriting *

( gà ) *

d½

Hebrew words have no such sounds. The combinations to the right are used for writing foreign words with Hebrew letters.

Like English j

ג'

ג′

Like th in English “this”

ד'

ד′

( zà ) *

Like s in English “vision” or French j.

ז'

ז′

like in German “Bach” (for Arabic or west-asian words to distinguish from ħ)

ח'

ח′

Voiced velar fricative like in Arabic

ע'

ע′

( cà ) *

t§

Like ch in English “chat”

צ'

צ′

* unless
   original
   form
   kept

Like th in English “thin”

ת'

ת′

Like English w
(to distinguish from the Hebrew v)

וו / וו'

וו / וו′

Hebrew official

Intl. phonetic (formal Hebrew) **

Sound example

Explanation for Vowels **

Vowel symbols **

(none)

(no vowel)

The symboled version is used in the middle of a word to mark no vowel..

אְ

a ( ă )

a¡

aò

hal {þaòl} (อา)

Similar to English “farm” but frontal –

very short, short and long

אָ

אַ

אֲ

e ( ĕ é )

\¡

e¡

eò

eÉ

hel {þeÉl} (เอ)

Like English “above” (extremely short) and like English “head” – very short, short, long and very long

אֵי/אֶי

אֵ

אֶ

אֱ

אְ

iÉ

hil {þiÉl} (อี)

Like English “sheep” –

short and very long

אִי

אִ

o ( ŏ )

o¡

oò

oÉ

hol {þoÉl} (โอ)

Similar to English “horse” but closer –

very short, short, long and very long

אוֹ

אׁ

אָ

אֳ

uÉ

hul {þuÉl} (อู)

Like English “coo” –

short and very long

אוּ

אֻ

*** The vowel symbols (as well as the stress/sound dots) are commonly omitted. Instead additional letters י and ו are sometimes added to mark the vowels i and o/u (mostly for longer vowels). As consonants these letters are sometimes doubled (יי and וו) to avoid misunderstanding.

*** In foreign words an additional letter א is sometimes added to mark the longer vowel a.

*** A silent ה at the end of a word marks an open-syllable ending with long vowel a or e, which helps to distinguish from a closed-syllable ending when no vowel symbols are used. This silent ה should not be transliterated to h.

*** In today’s spoken Hebrew there is no distinct difference of vowel lengths, thus all vowels are commonly pronounced with regular/average length: a, e, i, o, u.

*** In today’s spoken Hebrew the extremely-short vowel {\¡} is commonly pronounced sometimes as no vowel and sometimes as a regular-length e. The very-long e {eÉ} is commonly pronounced as ei (é) {eö}.

*** There are no other vowels in Hebrew than the above.

*** The long vowel אָ is pronounced {oò} and not {aò} in the European and Yemenit traditional pronunciations and an undotted ת is pronounced {s°} in the European traditional pronunciation, however these pronunciations are used only among traditional European-origin or Yemenite-origin groups or in their prayers.

*** In old times the vowels {e¡, e , eÉ , o¡, o, aò} based on ֶ and ָ where pronounced as {«¡, « , «ò , ¿¡, ¿, ¿ò}.

*** Double Roman consonant letter (for example mm) is the official transliteration of a “strong-stress”/”doubling-stress” dot inside the Hebrew letter (for example מּ).

*** Hebrew words have a single stress, usually at the last syllable of the word as in the word berekh {beòÇ‘eÅ}, however there is a group of words with a single stress at the syllable before the last syllable of the word as in the word berekh {Çbe‘eÅ}.

*** In the European traditional pronunciation of Hebrew the stress is usually at the syllable before the last syllable of the word, however this pronunciation is used only among traditional European-origin groups or in their prayers.