Niqqud - נִקּוּד (Vowel Points)

Hebrew letters are all consonants. To show which vowel sounds go between them, a system of small dots and dashes - called niqqud (נִקּוּד) - is placed above, below, or inside the letters.

In everyday Hebrew (newspapers, books, websites, text messages), niqqud is left out. Native speakers rely on context and the vowel letters (אהו״י) to figure out pronunciation. But niqqud is still used in:

• Children's books and early reading materials
• Poetry - where precise pronunciation matters
• The Torah and prayer books
• Dictionaries and language textbooks
• Foreign words and names, to avoid ambiguity

There are five main vowel sounds in Hebrew - A, E, I, O, U - and each has one or more niqqud signs. Below is a quick overview:

Sound	Main Signs	Example
A	בָ בַ	Kamatz · Patach
E	בֵ בֶ	Tsere · Segol
I	בִ	Chirik
O	בֹ בוֹ	Cholam · Cholam Male
U	בֻ בוּ	Kubutz · Shuruk

Tip: Don't try to memorize every sign at once. Start with the five basic sounds, then learn the variations (long, short, ultra-short) as you encounter them in reading.