Hebrew Point Hiriq

It gives the Hebrew letter above it an “i” vowel.

Why were Hebrew vowel points created? They guide readers through pronunciation that consonant-only spelling leaves unstated, especially in biblical texts. The recognizable Tiberian form of hiriq belongs to a wider pointing system that emerged in Late Antiquity and the early Islamic period around Hebrew's consonant-based writing.

Hebrew also had Palestinian and Babylonian pointing traditions, whose marks did not always carry the same vowel values; Tiberian pointing later became the standard model for fully pointed Hebrew. Syriac vowel notation also places signs below letters, a related placement principle, but that does not establish direct copying of hiriq.

How do I type hiriq?

Type the Hebrew letter first, then add hiriq.

Hiriq is a combining mark: enter the Hebrew letter, then the point, as in אִ. Keyboard layouts differ in how they expose niqqud; use the marks layer on a Hebrew or Biblical Hebrew layout, or a Unicode picker if it has no hiriq key.

Hiriq not displaying correctly? Font-dependent placement can make the dot look misplaced, but the letter and mark should stay together at a line break. If the dot floats or lands under the wrong letter, check the character order, font, and editor's Hebrew text support.