Hebrew numerals · Letter values
What number is each Hebrew letter?
22 letters, 1 to 400
Every Hebrew letter is also a number. Alef to tet count 1 to 9, yod to tsadi count 10 to 90, and qof to tav count 100 to 400, and a word’s value is its letters added up. The five letters that change shape at the end of a word keep their normal value, except in one method, mispar gadol, where they count 500 to 900. The same letters still write Hebrew dates today: the year 5787 is תשפ״ז.
Final forms show two values: normal, then mispar gadol.
Alef
Write a number in Hebrew letters
ה׳תשפ״ז
Showing 5,787
The chart
All 22 letters and their numbers
| Letter | Name | Value | Letter | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| א | Alef | 1 | ל | Lamed | 30 |
| ב | Bet | 2 | מ | Mem | 40 |
| ג | Gimel | 3 | נ | Nun | 50 |
| ד | Dalet | 4 | ס | Samekh | 60 |
| ה | He | 5 | ע | Ayin | 70 |
| ו | Vav | 6 | פ | Pe | 80 |
| ז | Zayin | 7 | צ | Tsadi | 90 |
| ח | Chet | 8 | ק | Qof | 100 |
| ט | Tet | 9 | ר | Resh | 200 |
| י | Yod | 10 | ש | Shin | 300 |
| כ | Kaf | 20 | ת | Tav | 400 |
Final forms. Kaf, mem, nun, pe and tsadi change shape at the end of a word: ך ם ן ף ץ. Usually they count the same as the regular letter, 20, 40, 50, 80 and 90. In mispar gadol, “large number,” they count 500, 600, 700, 800 and 900, which completes a run of 27 values like the Greek numerals.
Spelling in English varies: alef or aleph, chet or het, tsadi or tzadi, qof or kuf. The letters and values do not.
Writing numbers
Largest first, no zero
Values are added, biggest first, reading right to left. 177 is קעז, 100 + 70 + 7. There is no zero. Above 400, tav is used again with the other hundreds: 500 is ת״ק, 400 + 100, and 900 is תת״ק.
Two marks say “this is a number.” Gershayim (״), like a double quote, goes before the last letter of a number with two or more letters: 28 is כ״ח. A single geresh (׳) follows a one-letter number: 100 is ק׳. In chapter and verse numbers the marks are often left out.
15 and 16 are the exceptions. Written the plain way they would be י״ה and י״ו, 10 + 5 and 10 + 6, and those letter pairs are written forms of the name of God. Since the Middle Ages, 15 is written ט״ו, 9 + 6, and 16 is ט״ז, 9 + 7. The same care sometimes reorders letters that would spell a bad word.
Hebrew years
Years are counted in the Hebrew calendar and written with letters, usually without the thousands. The year 5787 began at Rosh Hashana on 12 September 2026 and runs to 1 October 2027. It is written תשפ״ז, 400 + 300 + 80 + 7, or ה׳תשפ״ז with the 5 thousands.
In daily life
Why 18 is lucky
The word חי, chai, means alive or living. Its letters are chet, 8, and yod, 10, so it adds up to 18. That is why Jewish gifts and donations often come in multiples of 18, called “giving chai”: 18, 36, 54 dollars and so on. The chai symbol as an amulet goes back to 18th century Eastern Europe.
Adding up the letters of words and comparing the totals is gematria. The Talmud does it with wine and secret, יין and סוד, both 70. To add up any word, use the gematria calculator. The most famous total of all is Nero’s, on the page about why 666 is the number of the beast.
Real vs legend
Hebrew letter values, sorted
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| Hebrew letters count 1 to 9, 10 to 90 and 100 to 400. | Real |
| The final letters are worth 500 to 900. | Partly · only in mispar gadol |
| 15 is written ט״ו to avoid a name of God. | Real · since the Middle Ages |
| The Hebrew year 5787 is 2026 to 2027. | Real · from 12 September 2026 |
| Chai is 18, and gifts come in 18s. | Real · a Jewish custom |
| Your name’s number reveals your destiny. | Legend · a total needs a sourced link to mean anything |
Questions
Hebrew letters and numbers
What are the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order?
Alef, bet, gimel, dalet, he, vav, zayin, chet, tet, yod, kaf, lamed, mem, nun, samekh, ayin, pe, tsadi, qof, resh, shin and tav. Their values run 1 to 9, then 10 to 90, then 100 to 400.
How is 666 written in Hebrew?
As a number, תרס״ו: tav 400, resh 200, samekh 60 and vav 6. The famous 666 of Revelation is a name, not this numeral: נרון קסר, Nero Caesar in Hebrew letters, also adds up to 666.
What does my Hebrew gematria mean?
On its own, nothing fixed. Chabad’s summary of the tradition is that a gematria must be sourced to be significant, and that the number alone does not create a connection. The adding is exact; what it means is interpretation.
Can you give an example of Hebrew gematria?
The Talmud notes that יין, wine, is 10 + 10 + 50 = 70, and סוד, secret, is 60 + 6 + 4 = 70, and concludes: “When wine enters, secrets emerge.”
Why do Jews give money in multiples of 18?
Because חי, chai, the word for alive, is chet 8 plus yod 10, which is 18. Giving 18, 36 or 54 is called giving chai, giving life.
How are Hebrew years written?
With letters, usually leaving out the thousands. The year 5787, which began on 12 September 2026, is written תשפ״ז: 400 + 300 + 80 + 7.
Sources
Where this comes from
- Hebrew numerals, values, writing rules, 15 and 16, geresh and gershayim, years: Wikipedia.
- Hebrew alphabet, 22 letters and five final forms: Wikipedia.
- Hila Ratzabi, “What Is Gematria?”, letter chart: My Jewish Learning.
- Gematria, mispar hechrechi and mispar gadol: Wikipedia.
- Hebcal date converter, 30 September 2026 = 19 Tishrei 5787: hebcal.com.
- Chai, 18 and giving in multiples of 18: Wikipedia.
- Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 38a, wine and secret: Sefaria.
- Mordechai Rubin, “What Is Gematria?”: Chabad.org.
- Final form (sofit) letters: Wikipedia.
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The 22 letters and the five final forms with their values, on one print.