Dagesh

Dagesh
ּ‎
Usage
Writing systemHebrew alphabet
TypeAbjad
Language of originHebrew
Sound values
  • Biblical
  • ḥazaq: [ː] (gemination), qal: [β]→[b], [ɣ]→[ɡ], [ð]→[d], [x]→[k], [ɸ]→[p], [θ]→[t]
  • Modern
  • [v]→[b], [x]~[χ]→[k], [f]→[p]
In UnicodeU+05BC
History
Development
  • ּ‎
SistersMappiq, shuruk
Transliterations
  • Biblical
  • ḥazaq: doubled consonant, qal: none[a]
  • Modern
  • v→b, kh→k, f→p
Other
Associated graphs ב‎ bet, ג‎ gimel, ד‎ dalet, כ‎ kaf, פ‎ pe, ת‎ tav
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.
Dagesh in Hebrew. The red dot on the rightmost character (the letter dalet) is a dagesh.
The word dagesh in Hebrew. The red dot on the rightmost character (the letter dalet) is a dagesh.

The dagesh (Hebrew: דָּגֵשׁ dagésh) is a diacritic that is used in the Hebrew alphabet. It takes the form of a dot placed inside a consonant. A dagesh can either indicate a "hard" plosive version of the consonant (known as dagesh qal, literally 'light dot') or that the consonant is geminated (known as dagesh ḥazaq, literally 'hard dot'), although the latter is rarely used in Modern Hebrew.

The dagesh was added to Hebrew orthography at the same time as the Masoretic system of niqqud (vowel points).

Two other diacritics with different functions, the mappiq and the shuruk, are visually identical to the dagesh but are only used with vowel letters.

The dagesh and mappiq symbols are often omitted when writing niqqud (e.g. בּ‎ is written as ב‎). In these cases, dagesh may be added to help readers resolve the ambiguity.[2] The use or omission of such marks is usually consistent throughout any given context.

  1. ^ "Transliteration Standards of the SBL". www.viceregency.com. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  2. ^ "הכתיב המלא" [The Complete Spelling] (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.


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