A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) each A Dagesh looks like a פּ and ,כּ ,בּ .but a 1—( שֵׁגָדּ ) Dagesh dot in a He’ is a make a sound that dot. cannot be held—as ( קיִפַּמ ) Mapik opposed to the sounds .פ and ,כ ,ב of רּ 2. הּ (Heh with Mapik, which looks like Dagesh) sounds like the “h” in “hi.” 3. For all other letters, ignore. Example: ke’ivu-YAH = הָּיוּוִּאֿ ְכּ Meteg A mark that tells us A Meteg looks like the bottom of a stop sign that a syllable should ( גֶתֶֽמ ) be more stressed than being held by a stressed stop-sign-holder telling other syllables in the you to slow down for the ֽר word. stress(ed syllable). Example: -meku-TZE = תֶרֶֽצֻּקְֿמ ret Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 1 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Sheva Nach No vowel sound. The Sheva Nach makes the sound that you might Just say the) ( וְ ֿשׁ אָ חָנ ) consonant as if no make when you are silent, and the Sheva Na‘ makes vowel were beneath the sound of you saying a (.it ְר really short “Eh” after someone asks you for Example: your opinion about .sif-RO something you disliked = וֹרְפִס Either way, the Sheva In this packet, we looks like the developing bubbles before the always put a line thought bubble rises, above a Sheva Na to helping you figure out make distinct-looking how to respond. any Sheva that makes a sound. Example: -uvshokhbe = וּ ְב ׇשׁ ךְֿבְּכ KHA. Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 2 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Chataf Patach Pronounced most The Kamatz Gadol, the Chataf Patach, and the commonly like the ( חָתַּפּ־ףַטֲח ) “ah” in “Ah, it is Patach all have a flat line at the top on which good to lie down” or somebody could lie down the “a” in “father.” to rest and say, “Ah, it is ֲא good to lie down!” -A = הֵלֲע :Example LEH Pronounced most The Kamatz Gadol, the ( חָתַּפּ ) Patach Chataf Patach, and the commonly like the “ah” in “Ah, it is Patach all have a flat line at the top on which good to lie down” or somebody could lie down ַר the “a” in “father.” to rest and say, “Ah, it is good to lie down!” Example: ha-LAKH = ךַלָה Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 3 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Qamatz Gadol Pronounced most The Kamatz Gadol, the Chataf Patach, and the commonly like the ( ץָמָק לוֹדָגּ ) “ah” in “Ah, it is Patach all have a flat line at the top on which good to lie down” or somebody could lie down the “a” in “father.” to rest and say, “Ah, it is ָר good to lie down!” Example: ha-LAKH = ךַלָה Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 4 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Sheva Na Pronounced like the The Sheva Nach makes the sound that you might eh” in “meh” or the“ ( וְ ֿשׁ אָ עָנ ) “e” in “den.” make when you are silent, (ultra-short) and the Sheva Na makes the sound of you saying a really short “Eh” after = ְֿמ ֶצֻּק רֽ תֶ :Example e m qutz-TZE-ret someone asks you for your opinion about ְ ֿר something you disliked. Either way, the Sheva looks like the developing bubbles before the thought bubble rises, helping you figure out how to respond. Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 5 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Chataf Segol Pronounced like the Chataf Segol is pro- nounced like the “eh” in eh” in “meh” or the“ ( ־ףַטֲח לוֹגֶס ) “e” in “den.” “meh” or the “e” in the word “petals,” and a Chataf Segol also looks like a bunch of petals = זֱחֶה ִ רי :Example ֱא heche-ZIR (technically five petals): Segol Pronounced like the Segol is pronounced like the “eh” in “meh” or the eh” in “meh” or the“ ( לוֹגֶס ) “e” in “den.” “e” in the word “petals,” and a Segol also looks like the petals of a three- .petaled flower = זֱחֶה ִ רי :Example ֶר heche-ZIR Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 6 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Tzeyrey Pronounced pretty Tzeyrey looks like two heads of people meeting close to the “ey” in ( יֵריֵצ ) “hey” and possibly up, and one of them (probably now living in even more closely to New Jersey but original- ,the “eh” in “It’s a ly from Brooklyn) says ֵר sunny day, eh?” “Ey! ‘Ow’s it goin’?” -di = רֵבִּדּ :Example BER Chirik (not followed Usually pronounced Chirik is just one teeny immediately by a Yod like the “ee” in weeny dot beneath a let- without a vowel) ter and makes the sound green.” (We’ll“ ( ִח רי ִ יק) of “ee” in “green.” (.transliterate it as i ִר Example: bi-TO = וֹתִּבּ Chirik (imme-diately Pronounced like the Chirik is just one teeny followedby a vowel-less “ee” in “green.” weeny dot beneath a let- Yod) ter and makes the sound (long) (We’ll transliterate it of “ee” in “green.” (.as i ( ִח רי ִ יק) :Example ִרי DIN = ןיִדּ Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 7 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Chataf Qamatz Pronounced like the Kamatz Katan (either with an elongated bot-tom (ultra-short) “o” in “pro.” line or looking the same as a Kamatz Gadol) and ( ־ףַטֲח ץָמָק ) Example: Chataf Kamatz have flat lemocho-RAT lines like the “ah” vowels = ְֿל ׇמ ֳח ַרת (Chataf Patach, Patach, .(and Kamatz Gadol ֳא Chataf Kamatz looks like a Kamatz next to a Sheva. Kamatz Katan and Chataf Kamatz both make an “oh” sound. Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 8 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Qamatz Katan Pronounced like the Kamatz Katan (either “o” in “pro.” with an elongated bottom line or looking the same ( ץָמָק ןָטָק ) as a Kamatz Gadol) and Example: Chataf Kamatz have flat lemocho-RAT lines like the “ah” vowels = ְֿל ׇמ ֳח ַרת ׇא (Chataf Patach, Patach, and Kamatz Gadol). Chataf Kamatz looks like a Kamatz next to a Sheva. Kamatz Katan and Chataf Kamatz both make an “oh” sound. Cholam Pronounced like the Cholam is a dot over a letter that makes the ”.above “o” in “pro) ( לוֹח ָ ם ) sound of the “o” in “oh.” and to the left of Example: KO-ach = ַחֽ ֺכּ (a consonant ֺר Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 9 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Cholam Pronounced like the Cholam is a dot over a letter that makes the ”.over a “o” in “pro) ( לוֹח ָ ם ) sound of the “o” in “oh.” Vav and Example: yore-DIM = ֿרוֹי דְ ִ םי immediately after a conso- nant with no vowel over or beneath it) רוֹ Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 10 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Kubutz Pronounced like the Kubutz is the sound of people who are impressed u” in “lucid” or the“ ( ץוּבֻּק ) “oo” in “boot.” by a baseball getting knocked out of the ball- park: “Ooooh!!!” It also Example: looks like the baseball -meku-TZE = תֶרֶֽצֻּקְֿמ ֻר getting knocked out of the ret ballpark: See also: Or dangerously: Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 11 A Basic Chart of the Hebrew Vowels (and a Few Marks) Name + Sample How it Sounds Mnemonics (& Some Notes) Shuruk Pronounced like the Shuruk is a vowel that makes the sound of the u” in “lucid” or the“ ( וּשׁ וּר ק) “oo” in “boot.” “oo” in “boo” or the “ough” in “through;” Shuruk has a dot that runs .Example: through a Vav רוּ MUM = םוּמ Many thanks to my awesome spouse Rabbi Dr. Raysh Weiss and my exCellent mother Ellen Rank for many oF these mnemoniCs. Some oF these are my own too! Edited by Rabbi Jonah Rank for the Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Halifax, NS | 06.27.2018 12 .