tzadi

Tzadi, also transliterated tsadi, is the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is written as צ in most positions and as ץ in the final position of a word. In modern Hebrew it represents the voiceless alveolar affricate [t͡s], similar to the “ts” in cats. Its numerical value in the Hebrew numeral system is 90.

Name and pronunciation: The letter is commonly pronounced as /t͡s/ in modern Hebrew and is usually transliterated as tzadi or tsadi. The final form ץ is used exclusively at the end of words.

Origins: Tzadi descends from the Phoenician letter ṣād, part of the Semitic script family. Through the Hebrew script it developed the two-glyph system, צ and ץ. The name is often linked to the root צ-ד-ק (ts-d-k), which appears in words such as צדיק (tzaddik, “righteous”) and צדק (tzedek, “justice”).

Usage: In modern Hebrew, tzadi is used in numerous common words beginning with the letter. The letter’s position in the alphabet is 18, and the numeral value is 90. It is one of several letters whose final form (ץ) is used only at word endings. The letter also features prominently in roots and cognates related to justice and righteousness.