How to Learn the Hebrew Alphabet (Print & Cursive)

The basics: 22 letters, right to left

Hebrew is written and read from right to left. The 22 letters are consonants. Vowels are shown with small dots and dashes called nikud, which appear in children’s books, prayer books and learner materials, but not in most everyday writing. Hebrew has no capital letters, so every letter has just one printed shape (plus a final form for five of them).

The 5 final letters (sofit)

Five letters change shape when they come at the end of a word. The sound stays the same, only the shape changes. Learn them right after the main 22 letters:

• כ → ך (Khaf sofit)
• מ → ם (Mem sofit)
• נ → ן (Nun sofit)
• פ → ף (Fe sofit)
• צ → ץ (Tsadi sofit)

Look-alike letters to watch out for

Most beginner reading mistakes come from a few pairs of letters that look almost the same. Practice them side by side until you can tell them apart instantly:

• ב (Bet) and כ (Kaf): Bet has a small "foot" at the bottom right
• ד (Dalet) and ר (Resh): Dalet has a sharp corner, Resh is rounded
• ה (He), ח (Chet) and ת (Tav): He has a gap on the top left, Chet is closed, Tav has a little foot
• ו (Vav), ז (Zayin) and ן (final Nun): Zayin has a "hat", final Nun goes below the line
• ס (Samekh) and ם (final Mem): Samekh is rounded, final Mem has corners

Print vs. cursive: which should you learn?

Print (block) letters are what you see in books, signs and on screens, so learn to read print first. Israelis, however, handwrite in cursive, which looks quite different. If you want to take notes or write by hand, learn cursive as soon as you can read print. It is faster to write and is what you will see in handwritten notes from Israelis.

A simple 2-week study plan

• Days 1–5: learn 4–5 new letters a day with their sounds, and review all previous letters each day.
• Days 6–7: learn the 5 final forms and drill the look-alike pairs.
• Days 8–10: read simple words with nikud (for example שָׁלוֹם shalom, תּוֹדָה toda).
• Days 11–14: start writing in cursive and read short phrases out loud.

Short, daily sessions of 15–20 minutes work far better than one long session a week. Say each letter’s sound out loud as you write it.