In Hebrew, vowels are usually represented by a system of dots and dashes that appear above, beneath, or inside of the consonants, known as the “Nikud” (נִקּוּד). These marks are used to represent the different vowel sounds in the language.
Here’s a brief overview of the main Nikud marks and their pronunciations:
- Patach (ַ): Represents the sound ‘a’ as in ‘father.’ For example, in the word אַבָּא (aba), meaning ‘father.’
- Segol (ֶ): Represents the sound ‘e’ as in ‘bed.’ For example, in the word אֶמֶר (emer), meaning ‘he said.’
- Tzere (ֵ): Represents the sound ‘ey’ as in ‘they.’ For example, in the word אֵל (el), meaning ‘God.’
- Hiriq (ִ): Represents the sound ‘i’ as in ‘machine.’ For example, in the word אִמִּי (imi), meaning ‘my mother.’
- Kamatz (ָ): Represents the sound ‘a’ or ‘o’ depending on the dialect and context. For example, in the word גָמָל (gamal), meaning ‘camel.’
- Holam (ֹ): Represents the sound ‘o’ as in ‘home.’ For example, in the word אֹזן (ozen), meaning ‘ear.’
- Shuruk (ֻ), Vav with Dagesh (וּ): Represents the sound ‘u’ as in ‘flute.’ For example, in the word שׁוּלחָן (shulchan), meaning ‘table.’
- Kubutz (ֻ): Represents the sound ‘u’ as in ‘flute.’ For example, in the word סֻפַּר (sufar), meaning ‘book.’
- Dagesh (ּ): A dot in the middle of a letter. It modifies the pronunciation of the consonant (bet, kaf, pe) and can indicate the presence of a ‘shuruk’ vowel when it is in the letter vav (וּ).
It’s important to note that in Modern Hebrew, especially in everyday writing such as newspapers, books, and online, Nikud is often omitted because native speakers can usually infer the correct pronunciation from context. However, Nikud is still used in texts for beginning Hebrew learners, poetry, or when it’s necessary to avoid ambiguity.
