Kaf

This is one of the more confusing letters in Hebrew alphabet, as it is one that you might see in several different forms when reading Hebrew:

For instance, it is sometimes said as Khaf (or 'Chaf') instead of Kaf, on top of which, you have the 'sofit' versions 'Kaf sofit' and 'Khaf sofit'. In effect therefore, there are four different versions of exactly the same letter.

When the letter is used as Khaf, the pronunciation is the same as it is with Chet, with the guttural 'Bach' being the nearest approximation. Kaf on the other hand is pronounced as a hard 'k' as it would be in words like 'kite' and 'kick'.

The difference between the two letters in written form is that the hard 'k' version of the letter has a dagesh mark in the middle:

On the other hand, if there is no dagesh, it is the softer but more guttural 'ch' letter that is being used. The same rules also apply with the sofit (pronounced 'so-feet') forms of the character too. Although the way that the letter is written changes, the pronunciation does not. Hence, 'Kaf sofit' will appear with a dagesh mark:

On the other hand, 'Khaf sofit' does not have a dagesh mark.

One slight oddity about 'Kaf' or 'Khaf' sofit is that whilst most Hebrew words end with a consonant, both of the sofit versions of this particular character are usually followed by a vowel.

Introduction to Reading Hebrew
The first basics
The Hebrew AlephBet
The Letters of the AlephBet
Aleph
Bet (Beyt)
Gimmel
Dalet
Hey
Vav
Zayin
Chet
Tet
Yod
Kaf
Lamed
Mem
Nun
Samekh
Ayin
Pey (Fey)
Tsade (Tsadik)
Qof
Resh
Shin
Tav
The Significance of the Alephbet
The Basics of Hebrew Verbs
The Hebrew Verb Subject
The Hebrew Verb Object
Hebrew Verb Tenses
Hebrew Verb Voices and Moods
Hebrew Verb Participles
The Infinite Verb Version
Hebrew Nouns
Hebrew Noun Constructs
Using Prefixes With Nouns
Hebrew Pronouns
Hebrew Plural Nouns
Hebrew Adjectives
Identifying Hebrew Questions
Adverbs, Prepositions and Conjunctions
Hebrew Reading Conclusion