Hebrew Alphabet and Numerical Values: Complete Reference
The Hebrew alphabet is more than a writing system — each of its 22 letters carries a numerical value, a symbolic meaning, and centuries of interpretive tradition. Here is your complete reference guide.
Why the Hebrew Alphabet Is Unique
Most alphabets are functional tools: symbols that represent sounds. The Hebrew aleph-bet is all of that, but it carries an additional layer that has fascinated scholars, mystics, and linguists for millennia. In Jewish tradition, the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are considered the building blocks of creation — the very substance through which the world came into being.
This belief gives each letter a weight that goes far beyond phonetics. And when you assign numbers to those letters, as gematria does, you open up an entire system of encoded meaning within texts.
The 22 Letters and Their Values
Here is the complete breakdown of the Hebrew alphabet with standard gematria values:
- Aleph (א) — 1. The silent letter, associated with the divine breath and the concept of oneness.
- Bet (ב) — 2. The first letter of the Torah (in Bereshit / Genesis), associated with duality and home.
- Gimel (ג) — 3. Associated with movement and generosity.
- Dalet (ד) — 4. Represents a door; associated with humility and openness.
- Heh (ה) — 5. One of the letters in the divine name; represents breath and revelation.
- Vav (ו) — 6. A connecting letter; represents connection and the physical world.
- Zayin (ז) — 7. Associated with the Sabbath, weapons, and the crown.
- Chet (ח) — 8. Represents life and transcendence beyond nature.
- Tet (ט) — 9. Associated with goodness and the hidden good.
- Yod (י) — 10. The smallest letter; represents the divine point and humility.
- Kaf (כ/ך) — 20. Associated with the palm of the hand and potential.
- Lamed (ל) — 30. The tallest letter; associated with learning and teaching.
- Mem (מ/ם) — 40. Associated with water and the revealed and hidden Torah.
- Nun (נ/ן) — 50. Associated with faithfulness and the 50 gates of understanding.
- Samech (ס) — 60. A closed circle; associated with divine support and cycles.
- Ayin (ע) — 70. Represents an eye; associated with perception and the 70 nations.
- Peh (פ/ף) — 80. Represents a mouth; associated with speech and expression.
- Tzadi (צ/ץ) — 90. Associated with righteousness and the righteous person.
- Kuf (ק) — 100. Associated with holiness and the back of the head.
- Resh (ר) — 200. Associated with heads, leadership, and beginning.
- Shin (ש) — 300. A letter of fire; one of the letters associated with the divine name.
- Tav (ת) — 400. The final letter; associated with truth, completion, and the seal of creation.
Final Letters and Their Values
Five Hebrew letters have different forms when they appear at the end of a word — these are called sofit (final) forms. In some gematria systems, they receive extended values: Kaf sofit = 500, Mem sofit = 600, Nun sofit = 700, Peh sofit = 800, Tzadi sofit = 900. Other systems treat them identically to their regular forms. This distinction matters when you're comparing results across different traditions.
How to Use This Reference
Whether you're studying a passage of the Torah, exploring the Zohar, or just curious about a name or phrase, having these values memorized makes gematria much more accessible. The patterns start to reveal themselves once the numbers become second nature. Many practitioners find that after a few weeks of regular study, they begin to see the numerical landscape of Hebrew text almost intuitively.