ScriptLookup

Hebrew

עברית
he 9M speakers

Hebrew (עברית) is a Afro-Asiatic language with approximately 9M speakers speakers. It is written using the Hebrew script. Its BCP 47 language code is he.

Hebrew (עברית) is a Semitic language and the official language of Israel. It has the unique distinction of being a successfully revived language — having been a primarily liturgical and literary language for about 1,700 years, it was revived as a spoken language in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, largely through the efforts of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda.

Modern Hebrew is written right-to-left in the Hebrew alphabet (22 consonants). It has a strong connection to Jewish religious and cultural identity, serving as the language of the Torah, Talmud, and much of Jewish liturgy.

Writing Systems Used for Hebrew

Hebrew
כתב עברי
Primary
שלום עולם
RTL Hebr

Frequently Asked Questions

What alphabet or script does Hebrew use?
Hebrew is written using the Hebrew script (ISO 15924 code: Hebr). Hebrew is a right-to-left script.
What direction is Hebrew written?
Hebrew is written Right-to-left. Text begins on the right side of the page and reads toward the left.
How many people speak Hebrew?
Hebrew has approximately 9M speakers speakers worldwide. It is a member of the Afro-Asiatic language family.
What language family does Hebrew belong to?
Hebrew belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. It is written with the Hebrew script.
What is the language code for Hebrew?
The BCP 47 language code for Hebrew is "he". This code is used in software, web standards (the HTML lang attribute), and internationalization contexts.

Language Facts

BCP 47 Code
he
ISO 639-3
heb
Status
living
Speakers
9M speakers
Language Family
Afro-Asiatic
Scripts
1
Primary Script
Hebrew

Other Hebrew Languages

Judeo-Arabic Judeo-Persian Ladino Yiddish

Data sourced from Unicode CLDR and ISO 639-3. Last updated April 20, 2026.