shva

Shva is a diacritic sign used in the Hebrew writing system as part of the niqqud (vowel pointing) system. It is not a letter, but a mark placed under a consonant to indicate the status of the vowel in that syllable. The symbol for shva consists of two vertical dots beneath the consonant.

There are two main types of shva. Shva na (vocal shva) is a light or short vowel, traditionally realized as a brief e-like sound in careful reading. Shva nach (silent shva) denotes the absence of a vowel in the syllable, effectively a zero-vowel or very brief, unpronounced segment. In practice, the pronunciation of shva can vary by word, tradition, and whether one is reading Biblical, liturgical, or modern Hebrew. In modern usage, shva na is often pronounced as a very short or nearly silent sound, while shva nach remains typically silent.

In addition to indicating vowel presence or absence, shva interacts with other niqqud marks to shape syllable structure and accentuation. It is among the core signs of niqqud employed in Biblical texts, language-learning materials, and materials that aim to specify pronunciation. In everyday written Hebrew, niqqud is frequently omitted, and shva’s function is learned through context and grammar rather than explicit vocalization.

Historically, shva originated in the Masoretic textual tradition and is part of the Tiberian system of vowel notation developed around the first millennium CE. It remains a fundamental concept in Hebrew phonology and orthography and is studied in Hebrew language education and textual scholarship.