qoph

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, pronounced like a hard k made at the back of the mouth.

   Grammar: Countable: one qoph, two qophs; often written with a capital Q in Hebrew studies.

   Patterns

   • the letter qoph
   • qoph is the nineteenth letter

   In Hebrew class we learned that qoph is the nineteenth letter of the alphabet.

   The word qoph appears in the acrostic poem of Psalm 119.

   She wrote the letter qoph on the board and asked us to copy it.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   A letter of the ancient Semitic alphabet from which Hebrew qoph, Arabic qaf, and Greek koppa all developed.

   Grammar: Used mainly by historians of writing; often with the definite article: the qoph sign.

   Patterns

   • the qoph sign
   • qoph in Phoenician

   The qoph sign appears in early Phoenician inscriptions.

   Scholars compare qoph with its Greek descendant koppa.

Word forms

Common combinations

the letter qoph

The letter qoph is the nineteenth in the Hebrew alphabet.

qoph is the nineteenth letter

In Hebrew, qoph is the nineteenth letter and looks like a circle with a tail.

write qoph

Can you write qoph for me? I keep forgetting its shape.

the sound of qoph

The sound of qoph is a deep k produced far back in the throat.

Synonyms and how they differ

qaf

The Arabic letter with the same ancient origin; use qaf when you are talking about Arabic, not Hebrew.

Word family

qoph noun

The letter itself; no common derived words in English.

Commonly confused: qoph or qaf? qoph or koppa?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “qoph”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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