In Hebrew, five letters have a special form when they appear at the end of a word. These are called ‘Otiyot Sofiyot‘ in Hebrew (final letters). Their pronunciation remains the same, but their shape changes. Here are the five final letters:
- Kaf (כ) → Final Kaf (ך) – Example: מלך (melech, “king”).
- Mem (מ) → Final Mem (ם) – Example: שלום (shalom, “peace”).
- Nun (נ) → Final Nun (ן) – Example: ענן (anan, “cloud”).
- Peh (פ) → Final Peh (ף) – Example: יוסף (Yosef, “Joseph”).
- Tsadi (צ) → Final Tsadi (ץ) – Example: ארץ (eretz, “land”).
Historical Background
The reason for these final letters originates from ancient Hebrew texts, which were written without spaces between words. To help distinguish where words ended, certain letters were given a unique final form when they appeared at the end of a word.
Although modern Hebrew writing now includes spaces between words, we still use and must continue using the final-letter system. It remains an essential part of Hebrew orthography, so it’s important to remember their correct usage!
