Hebrew Letter Pe

Use the standard Hebrew layout and press P. On that layout, semicolon enters ף, the separate form used at the end of a word. The dotted form פּ is פ followed by a dagesh, a combining mark that adds the dot.

What does פ sound like?

Peh is usually read as p or f. In text with pronunciation marks, פּ has the p sound and פ without the dagesh has the f sound. Hebrew writing usually omits those marks, so the word supplies the pronunciation. In some Arabic-speaking Jewish traditions, even פּ may be pronounced f; Georgian Jewish traditions use p for both forms.

Where did peh come from?

Peh belongs to an alphabetic tradition that developed over time. Early West Semitic alphabetic signs appear in Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions, generally dated to the 18th–17th century BCE, though their absolute dating is debated. The early system used signs for consonant sounds; it was not the later square Hebrew letter. Its sign-naming practice is often explained through acrophony: using a word’s first sound to name a sign. Square Hebrew developed through Aramaic, while Phoenician carried a related alphabetic tradition toward Greek and Western alphabets.