ד, the Hebrew cursive letter dalet
ד (dalet) is the 4th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, representing the voiced alveolar plosive /d/.
In words
ילדים · children
תודה · thank you
צדקה · charity
Easy to confuse with
Looks like ר (resh (ר))
The cursive dalet stresses its upper right angle, and that angle is what sets it apart from the resh.
Looks like צ (tsadi (צ))
The cursive tsadi is a tall letter that rises above the line; the dalet stays within it.
History
ד is the 4th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and has a numerical value of 4. In traditional and modern Hebrew and Yiddish, it represents the voiced alveolar plosive /d/.
Cursive dalet is written in a fluid curved sweep, resembling a round flourish or arch, which contrasts sharply with the sharp right-angled corner and overhang of the square printed form.
In handwritten rabbinic contracts and family correspondence, distinguishing cursive dalet from resh is a critical paleographic skill, as the cursive forms depend on arch roundness and stroke trajectory.
The Proto-Sinaitic sign behind dalet goes back to a hieroglyph of a door,[1] and the Modern Hebrew word for door is still delet.[2] Dalet is one of the six letters that can receive the light dagesh.[3] Without it, Yemenite Jews pronounce the letter /ð/, like the th of this,[4] and in modern Hebrew dalet followed by a geresh, ד׳, writes that /ð/ when foreign names are transcribed.[5] In Aramaic, the language of the Talmud, dalet as a prefix means that or which.[6]
Sources
- [1] Dalet — Wikipedia — from a hieroglyph of a door (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [2] Dalet — Wikipedia — Modern Hebrew delet, door (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [3] Dalet — Wikipedia — takes dagesh kal (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [4] Dalet — Wikipedia — /ð/ among Yemenite Jews (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [5] Dalet — Wikipedia — ד׳ for /ð/ in foreign names (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [6] Dalet — Wikipedia — Aramaic prefix: that, which (accessed 2026-10-14)