Yodh

Yodh (also spelled Yud, Yod, Jod, or Jodh) is the tenth letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician Yōd , Hebrew Yōd י, Aramaic Yodh , Syriac Yōḏ ܚ, and Arabic Yāʾ ي (in abjadi order, 28th in modern order). Its sound value is /j/ in all languages for which it is used; in many languages, it also serves as a long vowel, representing /iː/.

The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Iota (Ι),Latin I, J, Cyrillic І, Й, Coptic iauda (Ⲓ) and Gothic eis .

Origins

Yodh is thought to have originated with a pictograph of a hand that ultimately derives from Proto-Semitic *yad-. It may be related to the Egyptian hieroglyphic of an arm:

Hebrew Yud

Hebrew spelling: יוֹד ; colloquial יוּד

Pronunciation

In both Biblical and modern Hebrew, Yud represents a palatal approximant ([j]).

Variations

Yud is a mater lectionis, like Aleph, He, and Vav. At the end of words with a vowel or when marked with a sh'va nach, it represents the formation of a diphthong, such as /ei/, /ai/, or /oi/.

Significance

In gematria, Yud represents the number ten.

Yod

Yod may refer to:

See also

Palatal approximant

The voiced palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨j⟩. The equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is j, and in the Americanist phonetic notation it is ⟨y⟩. Because the English name of the letter J, jay, does not start with [j] but with [d͡ʒ] (voiced palato-alveolar affricate), this approximant is sometimes called yod instead, as in the phonological history terms yod-dropping and yod-coalescence.

The palatal approximant is the semivocalic equivalent of the close front unrounded vowel [i]. The two are almost identical featurally. They alternate with each other in certain languages, such as French, and in the diphthongs of some languages, ⟨j⟩ and ⟨i̯⟩ with the non-syllabic diacritic are used in different transcription systems to represent the same sound.

In the writing systems used for most of the languages of Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, the letter j denotes the palatal approximant, as in German Jahr 'year'. This is the IPA usage, and although it may be counter-intuitive for English speakers, it does occur with this sound in a few words familiar to such speakers as in the Hebrew word "hallelujah" and the German "Jägermeister".

Yod (astrology)

Yod is a rare astrological aspect that involves any three planets or points in the horoscope that form an isoceles triangle. This phenomenon occurs when two planets are sextile (60° aspect) to each other, and both are then quincunx (150° aspect) to a third.

Astrological chart

A Yod is a name for an aspect which forms a triangle shape. The two sextile (60° apart) planets means that they are harmonious to each other but weak where as the quincunx (150° apart) planet is incompatible to that pairing as it shares neither gender (masculine/assertive or feminine/receptive), element (fire, water, air, or earth), or modality (cardinal, fixed, or mutable). This aspect activates either a powerful conduit of energy, or a deeply felt block, in the direction of the third, separated planet.

Meaning

Astrology explains that raised or multi-aspected planets within the Yod can produce unusual situations and personalities, and should therefore be carefully examined. One possible approach is for an individual to view the yod as an exchange of positive forces around a mediating middle (though oppositional) planet. The quincunxed planet will either act as a conduit of energy, or as a profound and deeply felt block. This aspect can produce a heightened direction of energy in the chart which may also oscillate between bifurcated states or situated personalities. A planetary opposition to the quincunxed planet of the Yod can be malefic, or can produce situations of dramatic reversal.