Qof
/kɔːf/noun
The nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, transliterated as q and pronounced as a /k/ sound in Biblical Hebrew.
Did you know?Qof is traditionally associated with the Hebrew number 100, while its proposed Proto-Sinaitic pictograph and connection with the word for “monkey” remain debated by scholars.
Etymological Timeline
2nd millennium BCE
Proto-Sinaitic
𐤒 (proposed ancestor)
“A hypothesized early consonantal sign; its original pictorial meaning is uncertain, though “monkey” has been proposed.”
c. 1050 BCE
Phoenician
𐤒 / qōp
“The letter qoph, representing a deep k-like consonant.”
1st millennium BCE
Aramaic
ק / qōp
“A consonant letter inherited from the Northwest Semitic alphabetic tradition.”
1st millennium BCE
Biblical Hebrew
קוף / qōf
“The nineteenth Hebrew letter, representing the sound /q/ in ancient Hebrew.”
Medieval period
Masoretic Hebrew
קוֹף / qōf
“The pointed Hebrew form of the letter name, conventionally vocalized qof or qoph.”
Modern English
English
qof
“An English name for the Hebrew letter ק, also commonly spelled qoph.”