BBH Chapter 2 — Hebrew Vowels¶
Download: Anki import (.txt) · Flashcards Deluxe (-fd.txt)
Open-syllable reading drill for all Hebrew vowels. 28 cards.
Import ch2-vowels-deck.txt directly into Anki (File → Import).
How to Use¶
- Front of card: Hebrew character or syllable
- Back of card: Name / transliteration / pronunciation
- Edit source:
data/decks/bbh/ch2-vowels-deck.yaml - Rebuild:
python scripts/build_bbh_decks.py
Long Vowels¶
Long vowels are held for a full beat. They often include a vowel letter (mater lectionis) — aleph, he, vav, or yod — that marks the vowel length.
| # | Front (Hebrew) | Back |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | בָּ | bā — Qamets (long ā) — like 'a' in 'father' |
| 2 | נָ | nā — Qamets (long ā) — like 'a' in 'father' |
| 3 | מֵ | mē — Tsere (long ē) — like 'a' in 'they' |
| 4 | לֵ | lē — Tsere (long ē) — like 'a' in 'they' |
| 5 | נִי | nī — Hireq-Yod (long ī) — like 'ee' in 'machine' |
| 6 | לִי | lī — Hireq-Yod (long ī) — like 'ee' in 'machine' |
| 7 | נֹ | nō — Holem (long ō) — like 'o' in 'go' |
| 8 | מֹ | mō — Holem (long ō) — like 'o' in 'go' |
| 9 | לוּ | lū — Shureq (long ū) — like 'oo' in 'rule' |
| 10 | נוּ | nū — Shureq (long ū) — like 'oo' in 'rule' |
Short Vowels¶
Short vowels are held for a half beat. Qamets Hatuf looks identical to Qamets but occurs only in a closed, unaccented syllable — context determines which is which.
| # | Front (Hebrew) | Back |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | מַ | ma — Patach (short a) — like 'a' in 'bat' |
| 2 | סַ | sa — Patach (short a) — like 'a' in 'bat' |
| 3 | זֶ | ze — Seghol (short e) — like 'e' in 'bed' |
| 4 | נֶ | ne — Seghol (short e) — like 'e' in 'bed' |
| 5 | זִ | zi — Hireq (short i) — like 'i' in 'bit' |
| 6 | לִ | li — Hireq (short i) — like 'i' in 'bit' |
| 7 | כׇּל | kol — Qamets Hatuf (short o) — like 'o' in 'off' · same symbol as Qamets but in a closed, unaccented syllable |
| 8 | לֻ | lu — Qibbuts (short u) — like 'u' in 'put' |
| 9 | נֻ | nu — Qibbuts (short u) — like 'u' in 'put' |
Reduced Vowels (Shewa and Hateph Vowels)¶
Reduced vowels are extremely short — half the duration of a short vowel. Vocal shewa (ְ) is a brief schwa sound. The three hateph vowels are used under guttural letters (א ה ח ע) instead of a simple shewa.
| # | Front (Hebrew) | Back |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | לְ | lə — Vocal Shewa (reduced) — brief schwa, like 'a' in 'alone' |
| 2 | בְּ | bə — Vocal Shewa (reduced) — brief schwa, like 'a' in 'alone' |
| 3 | אֲ | ǎ — Hateph-Patach (reduced a) — very brief 'a'; used under guttural letters |
| 4 | אֱ | ě — Hateph-Seghol (reduced e) — very brief 'e'; used under guttural letters |
| 5 | אֳ | ǒ — Hateph-Qamets (reduced o) — very brief 'o'; used under guttural letters |