Mazalogy · Hebrew letter reference in English
Kaf: Hebrew letter forms and values
Identify Kaf כ and final ך, compare standard, ordinal and reduced-letter values, and check מלך in its cited Hebrew source.
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Kaf and final Kaf belong to one alphabet position
| Form | Character | Unicode code point | Unicode 17.0 name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary Kaf | כ | U+05DB | HEBREW LETTER KAF |
| Final Kaf | ך | U+05DA | HEBREW LETTER FINAL KAF |
Kaf / Khaf according to the reading. Reading cue: k with dagesh; kh without it in the introductory chart.
The ordinary form כ and final form ך have separate Unicode code points. Final Kaf is normally written at the end of a word, as in מלך. It retains the base letter’s eleventh alphabet position in this atlas.
The second example, כנף, places an ordinary Kaf at the beginning and a final Peh at the end. It helps distinguish changing a letter’s end-of-word shape from adding a dagesh for reading. A point and a final form are different kinds of information.
One letter, three explicit values
| Standard | Ordinal | Reduced letters |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 11 | 2 |
Mazalogy assigns both כ and ך standard 20, ordinal 11 and reduced 2. Thus מלך uses 20 for its final Kaf. The extended-final convention giving ך a value of 500 would produce a different standard sum; it is outside these three calculator methods.
מלך: king
Pointed source form: מֶלֶךְ · reading cue: melekh. Psalms 47:8 · Mechon Mamre.
The reference follows this Hebrew edition’s verse numbering. Final Kaf is part of the cited spelling, not a replacement for Mem or Lamed.
| Reading position | Written letter | Base letter | Standard | Ordinal | Reduced letters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | מ | מ | 40 | 13 | 4 |
| 2 | ל | ל | 30 | 12 | 3 |
| 3 | ך | כ | 20 | 11 | 2 |
| Word total | 90 | 36 | 9 | ||
Standard: 40 + 30 + 20 = 90 · Ordinal: 13 + 12 + 11 = 36 · Reduced letters: 4 + 3 + 2 = 9
כנף: wing
Pointed source form: כָּנָף · reading cue: kanaf. Genesis 1:21 · Mechon Mamre.
The word appears in a phrase about winged birds. This example has ordinary Kaf and final Peh.
| Reading position | Written letter | Base letter | Standard | Ordinal | Reduced letters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | כ | כ | 20 | 11 | 2 |
| 2 | נ | נ | 50 | 14 | 5 |
| 3 | ף | פ | 80 | 17 | 8 |
| Word total | 150 | 42 | 15 | ||
Standard: 20 + 50 + 80 = 150 · Ordinal: 11 + 14 + 17 = 42 · Reduced letters: 2 + 5 + 8 = 15
Its group in the Gra version of Sefer Yetzirah
Kaf כ is among the seven doubles listed in Gra 4:1: בגדכפרת. Keep this textual classification distinct from the alphabet position and the arithmetic columns above.
Study the source in a guided introduction · Read about textual versions
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Try a word in the free calculator · Print the values chart · All twenty-two letter entries
Sources, dates and conventions
Prepared by Mazalogy with AI assistance. Characters, source-word spellings and calculation rules were checked against the sources and the calculator on . Reading cues introduce the cited chart; pronunciation varies by community. Source attribution does not imply outside review or endorsement.
- Unicode 17.0 · Hebrew, section 9.1: direction, points and final forms
- Unicode 17.0 · NamesList: Hebrew character names and code points
- Chabad · The Hebrew Alphabet: letter chart, sounds and values
- GalEinai · Four Methods for Doing Gematria: distinguish counting conventions
- Sefer Yetzirah · Gra version 4:1, the seven doubles
- Mechon Mamre · Psalms 47:8, Hebrew text with JPS 1917 English
- Mechon Mamre · Genesis 1:21, Hebrew text with JPS 1917 English
English reference edition. Numerical examples retain final forms and actual vowel letters while ignoring pronunciation marks. Final forms keep base-letter values in all three methods. Reduced letters are added without reducing the completed word total again.