Heth#Hebrew chet

The shape of the letter Ḥet probably goes back either to the Egyptian hieroglyph for 'courtyard' (ḥwt): O6 (compare {{langx|he|חָצֵר|ḥaṣēr|links=no}} of identical meaning, which begins with Ḥet).

{{break}}or to the one for 'thread, wick' representing a wick of twisted flax: (ḥ){{cite web |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%F0%93%8E%9B |title=𓎛 - Wiktionary |access-date=2020-06-28 |archive-date=2020-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630085928/https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%F0%93%8E%9B |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|url=http://vincent.euverte.free.fr/Rosette/Rosette_410.php?Hiero=V28&Lang=E|title=Rosette V-1.3 (6/11/05)|access-date=2020-06-28|archive-date=2020-06-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629223548/http://vincent.euverte.free.fr/Rosette/Rosette_410.php?Hiero=V28&Lang=E|url-status=live}} V28 (compare {{langx|he|חוּט|ḥuṭ|links=no}} of identical meaning, which begins with Ḥet).

Possibly named {{Transliteration|sem|ḥasir}} in the Proto-Sinaitic script.

The corresponding South Arabian letters are File:himjar ha2.PNG ḥ and File:himjar kha.PNG ḫ, corresponding to the Ge'ez letters {{Transliteration|sem|Ḥawṭ}} ሐ and {{Transliteration|sem|Ḫarm}} ኀ.

This letter is usually transcribed as ḥ, h with a dot underneath. In some romanization systems, a (capital) Ch is also used.

{{see also|خ}}

{{Infobox grapheme|

| name = Ḥāʾ حاء

| letter = {{lang|ar|ح}}

| variations =

| image =

| imagesize = 200

| imagealt =

| script = Arabic script

| type = Abjad

| typedesc =

| language = Arabic language

| phonemes = {{IPA link|ħ}}

| unicode =

| alphanumber = 6

| number =

| equivalents =

| associates =

| direction = Right-to-left

| fam1 = 𐤇

| fam2 = 𐡇‎

| fam3 = 𐢊

}}The letter is named {{lang|ar|حَاءْ}} {{Transliteration|ar|DIN|ḥāʾ}} and is the sixth letter of the alphabet. Its shape varies depending on its position in the word, and its initial and medial form resembles a bird's beak:

{{Arabic alphabet shapes|ح}}

This form is used to denote three letters, the other two being {{lang|ar|خ}} ḫāʾ and {{lang|ar|ج}} ǧīm. In Maltese, the corresponding letter to {{lang|ar|ح}} is {{lang|mt|ħ}}.

In Arabic, {{Transliteration|ar|DIN|ḥāʾ}} is similar to the English {{IPAblink|h}}, but it is much "raspier",{{cite book|last=Bouchentouf|first=Amine|title=Arabic for Dummies|year=2006|publisher=Wiley Publishing, Inc|page=15}} IPA: {{IPAblink|ħ}}~{{IPAblink|ʜ}}. (Pharyngeal H)

In Persian, it is {{IPAblink|h}}, like {{angbr|{{lang|fa|ه}}}} and the English h.

In Modern Israeli Hebrew (and Ashkenazi Hebrew, although not under strict pronunciation), the letter Ḥet ({{langx|he|חֵית}}) usually has the sound value of a voiceless uvular fricative ({{IPA|/χ/}}), as the historical phonemes of the letters {{Transliteration|sem|Ḥet}} {{Script|Hebr|ח}} ({{IPA|/ħ/}}) and {{Transliteration|sem|Khaf}} {{Script|Hebr|כ}} ({{IPA|/x/}}) merged, both becoming the voiceless uvular fricative ({{IPA|/χ/}}). In more rare Ashkenazi phonologies, it is pronounced as a voiceless pharyngeal fricative ({{IPA|/ħ/}}).

The ({{IPA|/ħ/}}) pronunciation is still common among Israeli Arabs and Mizrahi Jews (particularly among the older generation and popular Mizrahi singers, especially Yemenites), in accordance with oriental Jewish traditions (see, e.g., Mizrahi Hebrew and Yemenite Hebrew).

The ability to pronounce the Arabic letter {{Transliteration|ar|DIN|ḥāʾ}} ({{lang|ar|ح}}) correctly as a voiceless pharyngeal fricative {{IPA|/ħ/}} is often used as a shibboleth to distinguish Arabic-speakers from non-Arabic-speakers; in particular, pronunciation of the letter as {{IPAslink|x}} is seen as a hallmark of Ashkenazi and Greek Jews.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Ḥet is one of the few Hebrew consonants that can take a vowel at the end of a word. This occurs when patach gnuva comes under the Ḥet at the end of the word. The combination is then pronounced {{IPA|/-aħ/}} rather than {{IPA|/-ħa/}}. For example: {{lang|he|פָּתוּחַ}} ({{IPA|/ˌpaˈtuaħ/}}), and {{lang|he|תַּפּוּחַ}} ({{IPA|/ˌtaˈpuaħ/}}).

Ḥet, along with Aleph, Ayin, Resh, and He, cannot receive a dagesh. As pharyngeal fricatives are difficult for most English speakers to pronounce, loanwords are usually Anglicized to have {{IPA|/h/}}. Thus {{lang|he-Latn|challah}} ({{lang|he|חלה}}), pronounced by native Hebrew speakers as {{IPA|/χala/}} or {{IPA|/ħala/}} is pronounced {{IPA|/halə/}} by most English speakers, who cannot often perceive the difference between {{IPAblink|h}} and {{IPAblink|ħ}}.

In gematria, Ḥet represents the number eight.

In chat rooms, online forums, and social networking the letter Ḥet repeated ({{lang|he|rtl=yes|חחחחחחחחחח}}) denotes laughter, just as in English, in the saying 'Haha'.

{{Arabic alphabet shapes|ܚ‎}}

{{charmap

|05D7|name1=Hebrew Letter Het

|062D|name2=Arabic Letter Hah

|071A|name3=Syriac Letter Heth

|0807|name4=Samaritan Letter It

}}

{{charmap

|10388|name1=Ugaritic Letter Hota

|10847|name2=Imperial Aramaic Letter Heth

|10907|name3=Phoenician Letter Het

}}

• Ħ, ħ : H with stroke

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Heth (letter)}}

{{Arabic language}}

{{Hebrew language}}

{{Northwest Semitic abjad}}

Category:Phoenician alphabet

Category:Arabic letters

Category:Hebrew letters

Category:Urdu letters