22 consonant letters, 5 final forms (sofit), RTL writing direction, similar-looking letters
Can recognize all 22 Hebrew letters in print, identify the 5 final forms, and read simple words from right to left
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
שָׁלוֹם, אֲנִי דָּן.
Hello, I am Dan.
כֶּלֶב וְחָתוּל
A dog and a cat
מִכְתָּב מֵהָעִיר
A letter from the city
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
The Hebrew alphabet (alef-bet) has 22 consonant letters. Hebrew is written right to left.
| Letter | Name | Sound | Final form |
|---|---|---|---|
| כ | kaf | k/x | ך |
| מ | mem | m | ם |
| נ | nun | n | ן |
| פ | pe | p/f | ף |
| צ | tsadi | ts | ץ |
5 final forms: כ→ך, מ→ם, נ→ן, פ→ף, צ→ץ — used only at the END of a word.
Look-alike letters to watch: ב/כ, ד/ר, ג/נ, ו/ז, ח/ה
Dual-sound letters: ב (b/v), כ (k/x), פ (p/f) — a dot (dagesh) inside = hard sound.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesUses regular form (כ/מ/נ/פ/צ) at word end instead of final form (ך/ם/ן/ף/ץ)
Remember: the 5 final forms are used ONLY at the end of a word. Mid-word always uses the regular form.
Reads or writes left-to-right instead of right-to-left
Always start reading Hebrew from the RIGHT side of the page. Practice tracing words from right to left.
שָׁלוֹם, אֲנִי דָּן.
Hello, I am Dan.
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) = hello/peace. The letter שׁ = 'sh', ל = 'l', מ = 'm'. Read right to left.
כֶּלֶב וְחָתוּל
A dog and a cat
כ at word start = k-sound; ך would appear only at word-end. וְ = 'and' (prefix letter ו).
מִכְתָּב מֵהָעִיר
A letter from the city
מִכְתָּב (michtav) = letter — מ ends mid-word normally. מֵ = 'from'. Note closed מ=ם would only appear at end.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
A1 Module 1: Modern Hebrew greetings, script, and first sentences