Yodh
Encyclopedia
Yodh is the tenth letter of many Semitic
alphabets
, including Phoenician, Aramaic
, Hebrew
Yud , Syriac
and Arabic
(in abjadi order, 28th in modern order). Its sound value is j in all languages for which it is used; in many languages, it also serves as a long vowel
, representing i.
The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek
Iota
(Ι), Latin
I
, Cyrillic
І, Coptic
iauda and Gothic
eis
.
Hebrew spelling: ; colloquial
, Yud represents a palatal approximant
(j).
, like Aleph
, He
, and Vav
. At the end of words with a vowel or when marked with a sh'va nach, it represents the formation of a diphthong
, such as /ei/, /ai/, or /oi/.
, Yud represents the number ten.
As a prefix, it designates the third person singular (or plural, with a Vav
as a suffix
) in the future tense.
As a suffix
, it indicates first person singular possessive; av (father) becomes avi (my father).
"Yod" in the Hebrew language signifies iodine
.
.
As Yud is the smallest letter, much kabbalistic
and mystical significance is attached to it. According to the Gospel of Matthew
Jesus
mentioned it during the Antithesis of the Law when he says: "One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Jot, or iota, refers to the letter Yud; it was often overlooked by scribes because of its size and position as a mater lectionis
. In modern Hebrew, the phrase "tip of the Yud" refers to a small and insignificant thing, and someone who "worries about the tip of a Yud" is someone who is picky and meticulous about small details.
Much kabbalistic
and mystical significance is also attached to it because of its gematria value as ten, which is an important number in Judaism, and its place in the name of God. See The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letters - Yud.
It is pronounced in three ways.
As a vowel, yāʾ can serve as the "seat" of the hamza:
Yāʾ serves several functions in the Arabic language. Yāʾ as a prefix is the marker for a singular imperfective
verb, as in "he writes" from the root K-T-B ("write, writing"). Yāʾ with a shadda
is particularly used to turn a noun into an adjective, called a nisbah . For instance مصر (Egypt
) → مصري Miṣriyy (Egyptian). The transformation can be more abstract; for instance, موضوع mawḍū` (matter, object) → موضوعي mawḍū`iyy (objective). Still other uses of this function can be a bit further from the root: إشتراك ishtirāk (cooperation) → إشتراكي ishtirākiyy (socialist
). In Egypt, the pronunciation of the final /-ijj/ is most often pronounced as -i.
A form similar to but distinguished from yāʾ is the (broken alif
), with the form . It indicates a final long /aː/.
In Egypt, Sudan and sometimes other regions, the final form is always (without dots), both in handwriting and in print, representing both final /-iː/ and /-aː/. representing final /-aː/ (DIN 31635
transliteration: ) is less likely to occur in Modern Standard Arabic. In this case, it is commonly known as, especially in Egypt, ˈʔælef læjˈjenæ. In Egypt, it is always short [-æ, -ɑ] if used in Egyptian Arabic
and most commonly short in Modern Standard Arabic, as well.
the letter is generally called ye, following Persian-language
custom. In its final form, the letter does not have dots , much like the Arabic or, more to the point, much like the custom in Egypt, Sudan and sometimes other regions. On account of this difference, Perso-Arabic ye is located at a different Unicode
code point
than both of the standard Arabic letters.
In computers, the Persian version of the letter automatically appears with two dots initially and medially: (). The Arabic version without dots isn't used initially or medially and it isn't joinable initially or medially. Attempts to join the Arabic version without dots might appear without two dots underneath: ().
Semitic
In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages...
alphabets
History of the alphabet
The origins of the alphabet are unknown, but there are several theories as to how it developed. One popular proposal — the Proto-Sinaitic theory — is that the history of the alphabet began in Ancient Egypt, more than a millennium into the history of writing...
, including Phoenician, Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
Yud , Syriac
Syriac alphabet
The Syriac alphabet is a writing system primarily used to write the Syriac language from around the 2nd century BC . It is one of the Semitic abjads directly descending from the Aramaic alphabet and shares similarities with the Phoenician, Hebrew, Arabic, and the traditional Mongolian alphabets.-...
and Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
(in abjadi order, 28th in modern order). Its sound value is j in all languages for which it is used; in many languages, it also serves as a long vowel
Vowel length
In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. Often the chroneme, or the "longness", acts like a consonant, and may etymologically be one, such as in Australian English. While not distinctive in most dialects of English, vowel length is an important phonemic factor in...
, representing i.
The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
Iota
Iota
Iota is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 10. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh . Letters that arose from this letter include the Roman I and J and the Cyrillic І , Yi , Je , and iotified letters .Iota represents...
(Ι), Latin
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
I
I
I is the ninth letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:In Semitic, the letter may have originated in a hieroglyph for an arm that represented a voiced pharyngeal fricative in Egyptian, but was reassigned to by Semites, because their word for "arm" began with that sound...
, Cyrillic
Cyrillic alphabet
The Cyrillic script or azbuka is an alphabetic writing system developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 10th century AD at the Preslav Literary School...
І, Coptic
Coptic alphabet
The Coptic alphabet is the script used for writing the Coptic language. The repertoire of glyphs is based on the Greek alphabet augmented by letters borrowed from the Demotic and is the first alphabetic script used for the Egyptian language...
iauda and Gothic
Gothic alphabet
The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet for writing the Gothic language, created in the 4th century by Ulfilas for the purpose of translating the Christian Bible....
eis
EIS
EIS may refer to:* Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, an airport in the British Virgin Islands which has IATA airport code EIS* Eastern Independent Schools of Melbourne, a group of schools in Australia...
.
Hebrew Yud
| Orthographic Orthography The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography... variants |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various Print Fonts | Cursive Hebrew |
Rashi Script Rashi script Rashi script is a semi-cursive typeface for the Hebrew alphabet. It is named for the author of the most famous rabbinic commentary on the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud, Rashi, and is customarily used for printing his commentaries. The typeface is based on 15th century Sephardic semi-cursive... |
||
| Serif | Sans-serif Sans-serif In typography, a sans-serif, sans serif or san serif typeface is one that does not have the small projecting features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the French word sans, meaning "without".... | Monospaced | ||
| י | י | י |  |
 |
Hebrew spelling: ; colloquial
Pronunciation
In both Biblical and modern HebrewHebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, Yud represents a palatal approximant
Palatal approximant
The palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is '...
(j).
Variations
Yud is a mater lectionisMater lectionis
In the spelling of Hebrew and some other Semitic languages, matres lectionis , refers to the use of certain consonants to indicate a vowel. The letters that do this in Hebrew are aleph, he, waw and yod...
, like Aleph
Aleph
* Aleph or Alef is the first letter of the Semitic abjads descended from Proto-Canaanite, Arabic alphabet, Phoenician alphabet, Hebrew alphabet, Syriac alphabet-People:*Aleph , an Italo disco artist and alias of Dave Rodgers...
, He
He (letter)
He is the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician , Aramaic, Hebrew , Syriac and Arabic . Its sound value is a voiceless glottal fricative ....
, and Vav
Waw (letter)
Waw is the sixth letter of the Northwest Semitic family of scripts, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic ....
. At the end of words with a vowel or when marked with a sh'va nach, it represents the formation of a diphthong
Diphthong
A diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
, such as /ei/, /ai/, or /oi/.
Significance
In gematriaGematria
Gematria or gimatria is a system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like...
, Yud represents the number ten.
As a prefix, it designates the third person singular (or plural, with a Vav
Waw (letter)
Waw is the sixth letter of the Northwest Semitic family of scripts, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic ....
as a suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
) in the future tense.
As a suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
, it indicates first person singular possessive; av (father) becomes avi (my father).
"Yod" in the Hebrew language signifies iodine
Iodine
Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
.
In religion
Two Yuds in a row designate the name of God Adonai and in pointed texts are written with the vowels of Adonai; this is done as well with the TetragrammatonTetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
.
As Yud is the smallest letter, much kabbalistic
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
and mystical significance is attached to it. According to the Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
mentioned it during the Antithesis of the Law when he says: "One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Jot, or iota, refers to the letter Yud; it was often overlooked by scribes because of its size and position as a mater lectionis
Mater lectionis
In the spelling of Hebrew and some other Semitic languages, matres lectionis , refers to the use of certain consonants to indicate a vowel. The letters that do this in Hebrew are aleph, he, waw and yod...
. In modern Hebrew, the phrase "tip of the Yud" refers to a small and insignificant thing, and someone who "worries about the tip of a Yud" is someone who is picky and meticulous about small details.
Much kabbalistic
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
and mystical significance is also attached to it because of its gematria value as ten, which is an important number in Judaism, and its place in the name of God. See The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letters - Yud.
Arabic yāʼ
The letter is named yāʼ . The letter is commonly known in Egypt as: je. It is written is several ways depending in its position in the word:It is pronounced in three ways.
- As a consonant, it is pronounced as a palatal approximantPalatal approximantThe palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is '...
/j/, typically at the beginnings of words in front of short or long vowels. - In the middle and end of words, the yāʾ usually (though not always) becomes a longVowel lengthIn linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. Often the chroneme, or the "longness", acts like a consonant, and may etymologically be one, such as in Australian English. While not distinctive in most dialects of English, vowel length is an important phonemic factor in...
/iː/. In this case it has no diacritic, but could be marked with a kasra in the preceding letter in some traditions. - A diphthongDiphthongA diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
, /aj/. In this case it has no diacritic, but could be marked with a sukun in some traditions. The preceding consonant could either have no diacritic or have sign, hinting to the first vowel in the diphthong, i.e. /a/. In some dialectsVarieties of ArabicThe Arabic language is a Semitic language characterized by a wide number of linguistic varieties within its five regional forms. The largest divisions occur between the spoken languages of different regions. The Arabic of North Africa, for example, is often incomprehensible to an Arabic speaker...
, the diphthong may be reduced to the long monophthongMonophthongA monophthong is a pure vowel sound, one whose articulation at both beginning and end is relatively fixed, and which does not glide up or down towards a new position of articulation....
/eː/.
As a vowel, yāʾ can serve as the "seat" of the hamza:
Yāʾ serves several functions in the Arabic language. Yāʾ as a prefix is the marker for a singular imperfective
Imperfective aspect
The imperfective is a grammatical aspect used to describe a situation viewed with internal structure, such as ongoing, habitual, repeated, and similar semantic roles, whether that situation occurs in the past, present, or future...
verb, as in "he writes" from the root K-T-B ("write, writing"). Yāʾ with a shadda
Shadda
Shadda , is one of the diacritics used with the Arabic alphabet, marking a long consonant . It is functionally equivalent to writing a consonant twice in the orthographies of languages like Latin, Italian, Swedish, and Ancient Greek, and is thus rendered in Latin script in most schemes of Arabic...
is particularly used to turn a noun into an adjective, called a nisbah . For instance مصر (Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
) → مصري Miṣriyy (Egyptian). The transformation can be more abstract; for instance, موضوع mawḍū` (matter, object) → موضوعي mawḍū`iyy (objective). Still other uses of this function can be a bit further from the root: إشتراك ishtirāk (cooperation) → إشتراكي ishtirākiyy (socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
). In Egypt, the pronunciation of the final /-ijj/ is most often pronounced as -i.
A form similar to but distinguished from yāʾ is the (broken alif
Aleph
* Aleph or Alef is the first letter of the Semitic abjads descended from Proto-Canaanite, Arabic alphabet, Phoenician alphabet, Hebrew alphabet, Syriac alphabet-People:*Aleph , an Italo disco artist and alias of Dave Rodgers...
), with the form . It indicates a final long /aː/.
In Egypt, Sudan and sometimes other regions, the final form is always (without dots), both in handwriting and in print, representing both final /-iː/ and /-aː/. representing final /-aː/ (DIN 31635
DIN 31635
DIN 31635 is a Deutsches Institut für Normung standard for the transliteration of the Arabic alphabet adopted in 1982. It is based on the rules of the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft as modified by the International Orientalist Congress 1936 in Rome...
transliteration: ) is less likely to occur in Modern Standard Arabic. In this case, it is commonly known as, especially in Egypt, ˈʔælef læjˈjenæ. In Egypt, it is always short [-æ, -ɑ] if used in Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic is the language spoken by contemporary Egyptians.It is more commonly known locally as the Egyptian colloquial language or Egyptian dialect ....
and most commonly short in Modern Standard Arabic, as well.
Perso-Arabic ye
Perso-ArabicPerso-Arabic script
The Persian or Perso-Arabic alphabet is a writing system based on the Arabic script. Originally used exclusively for the Arabic language, the Arabic alphabet was adapted to the Persian language, adding four letters: , , , and . Many languages which use the Perso-Arabic script add other letters...
the letter is generally called ye, following Persian-language
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
custom. In its final form, the letter does not have dots , much like the Arabic or, more to the point, much like the custom in Egypt, Sudan and sometimes other regions. On account of this difference, Perso-Arabic ye is located at a different Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
code point
Code point
In character encoding terminology, a code point or code position is any of the numerical values that make up the code space . For example, ASCII comprises 128 code points in the range 0hex to 7Fhex, Extended ASCII comprises 256 code points in the range 0hex to FFhex, and Unicode comprises 1,114,112...
than both of the standard Arabic letters.
In computers, the Persian version of the letter automatically appears with two dots initially and medially: (). The Arabic version without dots isn't used initially or medially and it isn't joinable initially or medially. Attempts to join the Arabic version without dots might appear without two dots underneath: ().