tav

Tav is the twenty-second and final letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In modern Hebrew, it is written as ת and represents the voiceless alveolar stop /t/. Its traditional numerical value in Hebrew numerals is 400. The letter does not have a distinct final form; unlike some other Hebrew letters, Tav appears the same in all positions within a word.

The origin of Tav lies in the Phoenician letter taw, a symbol that historically carried the meaning of a mark or sign. From Phoenician, the form and name evolved through the ancient Hebrew script into the contemporary square script used today. As the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Tav often appears in common Hebrew words such as Torah ( תורה ) and tov (good) in everyday usage and religious texts alike.

In linguistic and typographic contexts, Tav is treated as a consonant with a stable /t/ sound in modern Hebrew. Its absence of a separate final form distinguishes it from several other letters that have distinct final shapes. Tav also participates in various word constructions and is a frequent initial or internal letter across a wide range of Hebrew vocabulary.