hebrew alphabet
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A child carefully traces a letter of the Hebrew alphabet on a practice sheet.
Definition
Noun: * The Hebrew alphabet: A writing system consisting of 22 consonantal letters, used for writing the Hebrew language. It is written from right to left and has been in use since at least the 5th century BCE.
Usage
- The Hebrew alphabet is an abjad, meaning its letters primarily represent consonants.
- Students of the language must first memorize the Hebrew alphabet.
- Several other Jewish languages, like Yiddish, have been written using the Hebrew alphabet.
Advanced Usage
- The term can refer to the historical evolution of this script, including its Paleo-Hebrew and square script (Ashurit) forms.
- In religious contexts, the Hebrew alphabet is often studied for its mystical or numerological (Gematria) significance.
Variants and Related Words
- Aleph-Bet: A common name for the Hebrew alphabet, derived from its first two letters (א, ב).
- Square Script: The modern, block-style form of the Hebrew alphabet.
- Abjad: A linguistic term for a type of writing system, like the Hebrew alphabet, where vowels are not fully represented by letters.
Synonyms
- Jewish script
- Aleph-Bet
Related Phrases
- To learn the aleph-bet: To begin studying the Hebrew language.
- Before reading Torah, one must learn the aleph-bet.
A child carefully traces a letter of the Hebrew alphabet on a practice sheet.
Noun
- a Semitic alphabet used since the 5th century BC for writing the Hebrew language (and later for writing Yiddish and Ladino)