Hebrew Vowels Chart
Matres Lectionis & The Masoretic Niqqud System
The Mother Letters: Matres Lectionis
Long before the Masoretes added vowel marks, Hebrew scribes used three consonants to hint at vowel sounds. These matres lectionis (Latin for "mothers of reading") are letters that "give birth" to vowels. When they appear without their consonantal sound, they signal a vowel.
| Letter | Name | As Consonant | As Vowel Marker | Example | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ื | Aleph | [ส] glottal stop | Often silent, marks /a/ or /e/ | ืจึนืืฉื rosh (head) |
Often appears at word beginnings or as a placeholder for vowels. In ืจึนืืฉื, the Aleph is silent, supporting the /o/ vowel. |
| ื | Vav | [v] or [w] | Marks /o/ or /u/ | ืชึผืึนืจึธื Torah |
The most common mater lectionis. When Vav carries a dot above (ืืึนืึตื) it signals /o/; with a dot in the middle (ืฉืืึผืจึตืง) it signals /u/. |
| ื | Yod | [j] as in "yes" | Marks /i/ or /e/ | ืึดืื hi (she) |
Frequently signals the /i/ vowel. In ืึดืื, the Yod marks the long /i/ sound rather than functioning as /y/. |
Why these three? Aleph, Vav, and Yod are linguistically "weak" consonantsโsemivowels that naturally glide into vowel sounds. Their dual nature made them perfect candidates for vowel markers.
The Tiberian Vowel System (Niqqud)
Between the 5th and 10th centuries CE, Jewish scholars called Masoretes developed a system of dots and dashes called niqqud (ื ึดืงึผืึผื, "dotting") to preserve the traditional pronunciation of Hebrew scripture. These marks float around the consonants without changing the sacred text itself.
| Symbol | Name | Class | IPA | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ืึธ | Qamats | A-class | [ษ] | "a" as in "father" (long) | ืึธึผืจึธื bara (created) |
| ืึท | Patach | A-class | [a] | "a" as in "father" (short) | ืึทึผืช bat (daughter) |
| ืึฒ | Chataf Patach | A-class | [ฤ] | "a" ultra-short (reduced) | ืึฒื ึดื ani (I) |
| ืึต | Tsere | E-class | [e] | "e" as in "they" (long) | ืึตึผื ben (son) |
| ืึถ | Segol | E-class | [ษ] | "e" as in "bed" (short) | ืึถืึถืึฐ melekh (king) |
| ืึฑ | Chataf Segol | E-class | [ฤ] | "e" ultra-short (reduced) | ืึฑืึนืึดืื Elohim (God) |
| ืึด | Chiriq | I-class | [i] | "i" as in "machine" | ืึดื mi (who) |
| ืึดื | Chiriq Malei | I-class | [iห] | "i" long (with Yod) | ืฉึดืืืจ shir (song) |
| ืึน | Cholem | O-class | [o] | "o" as in "go" | ืงึนืึถืฉื qodesh (holy) |
| ืืึน | Cholem Malei | O-class | [oห] | "o" long (with Vav) | ืฉึธืืืึนื shalom (peace) |
| ืึธ | Qamats Qatan | O-class | [ษ] | "o" as in "all" (closed syllable) | ืึธึผื kol (all) |
| ืึณ | Chataf Qamats | O-class | [ล] | "o" ultra-short (reduced) | ืฆึธืึณืจึทืึดื tsohorayim (noon) |
| ืึป | Qibbuts | U-class | [u] | "u" as in "flute" (short) | ืงึปืึธึผืฉื quddash (sanctified) |
| ืึผืึผ | Shureq | U-class | [uห] | "u" as in "flute" (long, with Vav) | ืึธึผืจืึผืึฐ barukh (blessed) |
| ืึฐ | Sheva | Reduced | [ษ] or โ | Very short "uh" or silent | ืึฐึผืจึตืืฉึดืืืช b'reshit (in beginning) |
The Three Masoretic Schools
Three centers of Masoretic activity developed different vowel systems. The Tiberian system eventually became the standard used in Hebrew Bibles today.
Babylonian
Placed vowels above the letters. Now obsolete, but valuable for understanding textual variants.
Palestinian
An intermediate system between Babylonian and Tiberian. Only fragments survive in ancient manuscripts.
Tiberian STANDARD
Placed vowels above and below letters. Became the universal standard. The Leningrad Codex (1008 CE) is the oldest complete Tiberian manuscript.
Reading Pointed Hebrew: An Example
Let's break down the opening word of Genesis to see how consonants, matres lectionis, and niqqud work together:
"In the beginning" โ Genesis 1:1
The Divine Name: A Special Case
The most famous example involving Hebrew vowels is the divine nameโthe Tetragrammaton. Understanding its pointing reveals how reverence shaped scribal practice.
The Four Letters (YHWH)
The name revealed to Moses at the burning bush consists of four consonants: Yod-He-Vav-He. This "Tetragrammaton" appears nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew Bible.
The Reverent Substitution
Out of reverence, Jews stopped pronouncing this name aloud, substituting Adonai (ืึฒืึนื ึธื, "Lord") when reading scripture. The Masoretes placed Adonai's vowels around YHWH as a reminder.
The Origin of "Jehovah"
Medieval Christian scholars read YHWH with Adonai's vowels, producing the hybrid "Jehovah"โa form that never existed in ancient Hebrew but became embedded in English tradition.
Modern Reconstruction
Scholars generally reconstruct the original as Yahweh, based on early Greek transcriptions and theophoric names. But certainty is impossibleโthe name wasn't spoken aloud for millennia.