Kaph
/kɑːf/noun
The eleventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet, written כ, representing the sound /k/ or, in some contexts, /x/.
Did you know?Kaph has the numerical value 20 in Hebrew gematria, and its final form, ך, appears when it ends a word.
Etymological Timeline
2nd millennium BCE
Proto-Sinaitic
𐤊
“A pictographic sign traditionally associated with a hand or palm”
11th–10th century BCE
Phoenician
𐤊 kap
“The letter-name kap, meaning palm or hand”
10th–5th century BCE
Paleo-Hebrew
𐤊 kaf
“A consonantal letter representing /k/, named for the palm of the hand”
1st millennium BCE
Aramaic/Hebrew
כף kaf
“Palm, hollow of the hand; the source of the letter’s name”
8th–5th century BCE
Ancient Greek
κάππα kappa
“The Greek letter kappa, borrowed from the Phoenician letter”
Modern English
English
kaph
“The conventional English name for the Hebrew letter כ”