The Hebrew Writing System

The Modern Hebrew writing system developed out of a modified Aramaic script that came into use around the 3rd Century BC. Before that time, Hebrew had been written with a modified version of the Phoenician script.¹

Hebrew Translators

The Hebrew alphabet is made up of 22 letters, all of which are consonants. Various systems of diacritic marks have been created to indicate vowels in Hebrew words (the Tiberian system is the most common); however, the language's word structures (or morphemic structures) actually make these symbols redundant. For example, just as an English speaker can read the sentence "n th begnng Gd crtd th hvns nd th rth," so can a Hebrew speaker know what vowels are implied in a similar Hebrew sentence.

Like Arabic, Modern Hebrew is written from right to left. The script seen in printed Hebrew is called "square" and is derived from the Aramaic. Hebrew can also be written using a cursive system. However, both printed and cursive Hebrew only have one case (unlike the upper and lower cases used in the Latin-based writing systems).

Additional resources on the Hebrew writing system can be found on the Web at:

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hebrew.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_alphabet

http://www.bambili.com/bambili_news_en/katava_main.asp?news_id=2285&sivug_id=8

For information on The Hebrew Writing System, please see our Quick Facts Library.

¹ "Hebrew alphabet" Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_alphabet
[Accessed December 23, 2004]