Paleo-Hebrew alphabet

Compare all 22 Paleo-Hebrew letters with modern Hebrew. Use this chart to read letter by letter, then try the free converter.

What is Paleo-Hebrew?

Paleo-Hebrew is an early script used to write Hebrew. Modern Hebrew uses a different set of letter shapes. Each letter maps to its counterpart in the other script.

The modern square Hebrew script developed through Aramaic writing. Paleo-Hebrew and modern Hebrew letters have a regular one-to-one correspondence. Source: Unicode's Phoenician script overview.

Download the printable alphabet chart for study or classroom use.

The 22 letters

Read Hebrew words from right to left. The chart lists letters in alphabet order. It uses Paleo Pro's familiar Hebrew letter names. Unicode assigns these characters to its Phoenician block, which also represents Paleo-Hebrew text.

The glyphs show one font's forms. Historical handwriting and inscription letter shapes can vary. Source: Unicode Phoenician character chart.

What happens to final letters?

Modern Hebrew has five final forms: ך ם ן ף ץ. The converter maps them to the same Paleo letters as כ מ נ פ צ. The reverse conversion can restore modern final forms at word endings.

Try a word

Modern Hebrew שלום maps to 𐤔𐤋𐤅𐤌. Try your own text in the Paleo-Hebrew converter.

Type Paleo-Hebrew on iPhone

Paleo Pro includes an iPhone keyboard. Follow the keyboard setup guide to add it in Settings.