Reading Hebrew seems complicated only at first glance! With 2 weeks of regular practice, you'll be able to read simple texts and signs. Thousands have mastered this - you can too!
This guide provides a step-by-step plan from first letter to fluent reading. No fluff, only proven techniques and practical exercises.
Bonus: At the end - ready 14-day training plan with links to free resources.
Features of Hebrew Writing
What you need to know from the start
1. Write right to left
- Unusual first few days
- Becomes natural in a week
- Books open "backwards" (from right)
2. Only consonants in basic writing
- Vowels are marked with dots (nikud/nekudot)
- Adult texts usually have no vowels
- Need to guess vowels from context
3. No capital letters
- All letters same size
- Sentence beginning not highlighted
4. Print and cursive forms
- In books/internet - print (ืืคืืก)
- Handwritten - cursive (ืืชื ืื)
- Start with print!
Step 1: Alphabet (22 letters)
Week 1: Basic Letters
Learn 5-6 letters per day, using HebrewGlot lesson 1.
Day 1-2: First 6 letters
- ื (Alef) - silent letter
- ื (Bet/Vet) - B/V
- ื (Gimel) - G
- ื (Dalet) - D
- ื (He) - H (soft)
- ื (Vav) - V
Day 3-4: Next 6
- ื (Zayin) - Z
- ื (Chet) - H (hard)
- ื (Tet) - T
- ื (Yod) - Y
- ื/ื (Kaf/Chaf) - K/Kh
- ื (Lamed) - L
Day 5-6: Another 5
- ื/ื (Mem) - M
- ื /ื (Nun) - N
- ืก (Samech) - S
- ืข (Ayin) - guttural stop
- ืค/ืฃ (Pe/Fe) - P/F
Day 7: Last 5
- ืฆ/ืฅ (Tsadi) - Ts
- ืง (Kof) - K
- ืจ (Resh) - R
- ืฉ (Shin/Sin) - Sh/S
- ืช (Tav) - T
Week result: Know all 22 letters
Step 2: Final Forms
5 letters have special forms at word end:
- ื โ ื (Kaf)
- ื โ ื (Mem)
- ื โ ื (Nun)
- ืค โ ืฃ (Pe)
- ืฆ โ ืฅ (Tsadi)
Rule: Used ONLY at end of word
Examples:
- ืกืคืจ (sefer) - book
- ืืื (yeled) - boy
- ืฉืืื (shalom) - peace
Step 3: Vowel Marks (nekudot)
Vowel System
Hebrew has 5 main vowel sounds:
A-sounds:
- ึทโ (patach) - short A
- ึธโ (kamatz) - long A
E-sounds:
- ึถโ (segol) - E
- ึตโ (tzere) - long E
I-sounds:
- ึดโ (chirik) - I
O-sounds:
- ึธโ (cholam) - O
- ึนโ (cholam chaser) - O
U-sounds:
- ึปโ (kubutz) - U
- ืึผ (shuruk) - U
Reading with Vowels
Example: ืฉึธืืืึนื
- ืฉ with kamatz = SHA
- ื with cholam = LO
- ื = M
- Total: SHA-LOM (shalom)
Practice: Start with HebrewGlot lessons, where all words have vowels.
Step 4: Reading Practice
Week 2: Reading First Words
Simple words (with vowels):
- ืึธื (av) - father
- ืึตื (em) - mother
- ืึตึผื (ben) - son
- ืึทึผืช (bat) - daughter
- ืืึนื (yom) - day
- ืึทืึฐืึธื (layla) - night
How to practice:
- Read word slowly
- Break into syllables
- Say aloud
- Repeat 3 times
Beginner Phrases
Phrase 1: ืฉึธืืืึนื! ืึทื ืฉึฐืืืึนืึฐืึธ? (Shalom! Ma shlomcha?) Hello! How are you?
Breakdown:
- ืฉึธืืืึนื (shalom) - hello
- ืึทื (ma) - what
- ืฉึฐืืืึนืึฐืึธ (shlomcha) - your peace/state
Phrase 2: ืชึผืึนืึธื ืจึทืึธึผื (Toda raba) Thank you very much
Reading Without Vowels
How Israelis Read
Reality: 99% of texts WITHOUT vowels!
Example:
- With vowels: ืึธึผืึธืจ (davar) - word
- Without vowels: ืืืจ (??)
How to guess: By context and word knowledge
Strategies
1. Learn whole words Don't try reading unknown words without vowels - learn them with pronunciation.
2. Use HebrewGlot dictionary
- Search word
- See pronunciation
- Remember as whole
3. Read texts WITH vowels first
- Children's books
- Textbooks
- Religious texts
Common Difficulties
Problem 1: Similar Letters
Twin pairs:
- ื (Bet) and ื (Kaf) - almost identical
- ื (Dalet) and ืจ (Resh) - differ by angle
- ื (He) and ื (Chet) and ืช (Tav) - need to get used to
Solution: Practice on HebrewGlot trainer
Problem 2: Reading Direction
Mistake: Reading left to right by habit
Solution:
- Cover left part of text with hand
- Use ruler right to left
- First week read with finger
Problem 3: Guessing Vowels
Without vowels it's difficult!
Example: ืฉืืื could be read:
- ืฉึธืืืึนื (shalom) - peace โ
- ืฉึถืืึถื (shelem) - whole โ
- ืฉึปืืึธื (shulam) - name โ
Solution: Learn most common words by heart
2-Week Plan
Week 1: Alphabet
Monday-Friday:
- 15 minutes morning: new letters
- 15 minutes evening: review
- Use HebrewGlot lesson 1
Saturday-Sunday:
- Review all 22 letters
- Test: write alphabet from memory
Result: Know all letters
Week 2: Reading
Monday-Wednesday:
- Vowel marks (nekudot)
- Reading words with vowels
- 20-30 words
Thursday-Friday:
- Short phrases
- Pronunciation practice
Saturday-Sunday:
- Read children's book (1-2 pages)
- Or children's song
Result: Reading simple texts slowly
Practice Resources
Texts for Beginners
1. Children's books with vowels
- Classic Hebrew children's literature
- Search on Amazon or Israeli sites
2. HebrewGlot
- Lessons - all with vowels
- Dictionary - pronunciation of every word
3. Sites with vowels
- Nakdan (nakdan.com) - adds vowels to texts
- Sefaria.org - religious texts with vowels
Apps
1. Hebrew Reading Ninja
- Gamified approach
- Letter and word training
2. Anki with Hebrew decks
- Letter flashcards
- Spaced repetition
Advanced Techniques
Reading Speed
Beginner: 10-20 words/minute
Intermediate: 50-80 words/minute
Advanced: 150-200 words/minute
How to speed up:
- Read more - 15 minutes daily
- Don't vocalize aloud
- Recognize whole words, not by letters
Reading Without Vowels
Transition: After 100-200 hours reading with vowels
Strategy:
- Start with familiar texts without vowels
- Use context
- Gradually move to new texts
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Reading without vowels immediately
Problem: Frustration and slow progress
Solution: Minimum 2-3 months read ONLY with vowels
Mistake 2: Not practicing aloud
Problem: Pronunciation doesn't develop
Solution: Always read aloud first 3 months
Mistake 3: Learning letters but not reading
Problem: Know alphabet but can't read
Solution: Right after alphabet - read words and phrases
Conclusion
Reading Hebrew is a skill that develops gradually:
- 2 weeks: reading with vowels slowly
- 2 months: reading with vowels fluently
- 6 months: starting to read without vowels
- 1 year: freely reading newspapers
Start right now: HebrewGlot lesson 1 - alphabet
Article updated: October 28, 2025