The foundation of the Hebrew language is its alphabet, often called the Aleph-Bet. It’s named after its first two letters, Aleph (א) and Bet (ב), much like the word “alphabet” comes from the Greek letters Alpha and Beta.

The first thing you’ll notice is that Hebrew is written and read from right to left. This is the opposite of English and many other Western languages. When you open a Hebrew book, you’ll start from what an English speaker would consider the back.

The Hebrew Aleph-Bet consists of 22 letters. A key feature is that all of them are consonants. Vowels are typically indicated by a separate system of dots and dashes called nikkud, which we'll explore later. For now, let's focus on the letters themselves.

You might have noticed the 'Final Form' column in the table. Five Hebrew letters—Kaf, Mem, Nun, Peh, and Tsadi—change their shape when they appear at the very end of a word. These special final forms are called sofit (so-FEET), which means 'end' or 'final' in Hebrew.

Learning a new alphabet can feel daunting, but breaking it down makes it manageable. Don't try to memorize all 22 letters in one sitting. Instead, focus on a few at a time. Pay attention to their names and shapes, and practice writing them from right to left.

Many letters look similar to one another, like Dalet (ד) and Resh (ר), or Bet (ב) and Kaf (כ). Look for the small details that set them apart, such as a sharp corner versus a rounded one. As you practice, your eyes will learn to spot these differences quickly.

Ready to test your knowledge of the letter names and their order? Let's give it a try.

With this foundation, you're ready to start exploring the sounds and shapes of each letter in more detail.