Hebrew 101: Lesson 5

More Diacritics

In this lesson, we'll explore additional diacritic marks and special cases in Hebrew vocalization.

Additional Marks

  • Mappiq (מפיק) - A dot in the letter ה indicating it's pronounced as a consonant
  • Patach Ganuv (פתח גנוב) - "Sneaky Patach" - pronounced before the letter instead of after
  • Geresh (׳) - Used for foreign sounds and numbers
  • Gershayim (״) - Double geresh, used for numbers and abbreviations
Patach Ganuv: Appears under ח, ע, or ה at the end of words, pronounced before the letter. Example: רוּחַ (ruach) - spirit/wind

Cantillation Marks

Biblical texts also have cantillation marks (טעמים - te'amim) for chanting, but these are beyond the scope of Hebrew 101.