Help:IPA for Hebrew

"Hebrew" may refer either to Modern Israeli Hebrew, classical languages such as Biblical or Mishnaic Hebrew, or to various pronunciation traditions used in liturgical settings.

Modern Hebrew
The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Modern/Israeli Hebrew language pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. Since Modern Hebrew has both non-Oriental and Oriental pronunciation, certain letters may be transcribed differently depending on the background of the speaker. See Hebrew phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Hebrew.


 * Note: An image of the chart is also available.

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IPA: Hebrew Consonants
! IPA !! Letter(s) !! English approximate !! Romanization ! !  !  !  !  !  !  !  !  !  !  !  !  !  !  !   (Sin) ! !   (Tav) ! !  !   (Vav) (double Vav) !  (Vav) ! !  !  !   (Ayin) ! {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4"|
 * (Bet)
 * bet
 * b
 * (Dalet)
 * dark
 * d
 * (Gimel with geresh)
 * joy
 * or j
 * (Fei)
 * fool
 * f or
 * (Gimel)
 * go
 * g
 * (Hei)
 * hen
 * h
 * (Chet)
 * no English equivalent
 * or ch
 * (Yud)
 * yes
 * y
 * (Kaph) (Qoph)
 * skin
 * k
 * (Lamed)
 * left
 * l
 * (Mem)
 * man
 * m
 * (Nun)
 * no
 * n
 * (Pei)
 * spin
 * p
 * (Qoph)
 * no English equivalent
 * q or k
 * (Resh)
 * Somewhat like run
 * r
 * (Samech)
 * see
 * s
 * (Shin)
 * she
 * or sh
 * (Tet)
 * sting
 * t
 * (Tsadi)
 * cats
 * ts (or tz)
 * (Tsadi with geresh)
 * chair
 * or ch
 * (Vet)
 * voice
 * v or /w
 * (double Vav)
 * we
 * w
 * (Chet) (Chaph)
 * Similar to Scottish loch
 * / or ch/kh
 * (Zayin)
 * zoo
 * z
 * (Zayin with geresh)
 * beige
 * (Aleph)
 * uh-()oh
 * ʾ or '
 * (Ayin)
 * no English equivalent
 * ʿ or '
 * }
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IPA: Hebrew Vowels
! colspan="1"| IPA ! colspan="1"| Letter(s) ! rowspan="1"| English approximate ! rowspan="1"| Romanization ! ! {{IPAlink|e̞|e}} ! {{IPAlink|i}} ! {{IPAlink|o̞|o}} ! {{IPAlink|u}}
 * {{Hebrew|{{Hebrew|1= ָ }} (Kamatz), [[Image:Hebrew Patah.svg|35px]] (Patach),
 * father
 * a
 * [[Image:Hebrew Zeire.svg|35px]] (Zeire), [[Image:Hebrew Segol.svg|35px]] (Segol), [[Image:Tilde Schwa.svg|35px]] (Shva)
 * bed
 * e
 * {{Hebrew|1= י }}[[Image:Hebrew Hiriq.svg|35px]](Hiriq-Yud), [[Image:Hebrew Hiriq.svg|35px]](Hiriq)
 * see
 * i
 * {{Hebrew|1= ֹ }} (Holam alone), {{Hebrew|1= וֹ }} (with any mater lectionis), {{Hebrew|1= ָ }}  (Kamatz katan)
 * story
 * o
 * {{Hebrew|1= וּ }} (Vav with shuruk), [[Image:Hebrew Backslash Qubuz.svg|35px]] (Kubutz)
 * boot
 * u
 * }

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IPA: Hebrew Diphthongs
! colspan="1"| IPA ! colspan="1"| Letter(s) ! rowspan="1"| English approximate ! rowspan="1"| Romanization ! !  !  !  !  (rare) ! (rare) ! (rare)
 * [[Image:Hebrew Segol.svg|35px]] (Segol-Yud), [[Image:Hebrew Zeire.svg|35px]] (Zeire)
 * day
 * ei
 * [[Image:Hebrew Patah.svg|35px]] (Patach-Yud), (Kamatz-Yud)
 * why
 * ai
 * (Vav with holam male-Yud)
 * boy
 * oi
 * (Vav with shuruq-Yud)
 * we
 * ui
 * (Alef-Vav)
 * cow
 * ao
 * (Yud-Vav with shuruk)
 * cute
 * yu
 * [[Image:Hebrew Hiriq.svg|35px]](Hiriq-Yud with Shva Nach) i.e. ""
 * like see
 * iy


 * }
 * }

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IPA: Marginal Sounds
! IPA !! Letter(s) !! English approximate !! Romanization ! !  !
 * (Dalet with geresh)
 * this
 * th
 * (Nun-Gimel),
 * ring
 * ng
 * (Tav with geresh)
 * thing
 * th
 * }

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IPA: Other symbols used in transcription of Hebrew pronunciation
! IPA!! Explanation ! !  !
 * Primary stress (placed before the stressed syllable), e.g. ('food'),  ('eating' [participle])
 * Secondary stress, e.g. ('oh, really?')
 * Long vowels (in Tiberian Hebrew) can be transcribed using the IPA gemination sign, e.g. the word for "hand" would be   in absolute state and   in construct state. Indicating normative consonant gemination is done with a double consonant, e.g.  ('a thief')  not
 * }