Gematria Calculator
Gematria is the Jewish practice of adding up the numerical values of Hebrew letters: alef is 1, bet is 2, and so on up to tav at 400. Words with the same total are read as linked. Type or paste a Hebrew word below to see its value, letter by letter.
What Is Gematria?
Gematria is a Jewish method of reading meaning into the numerical value of Hebrew words. Hebrew has no separate symbols for numbers, so its 22 letters double as numerals. Add up the letters of a word and you get its value. When two words share a total, a teacher may draw a lesson from the link between them.
The word itself most likely comes from the Greek geometria. Gematria is old: the Mishnah, in Pirkei Avot 3:18, calls gematria one of the "desserts of wisdom", a pleasant extra rather than the main course. Later rabbinic tradition lists it among the 32 rules for interpreting the Torah, used mainly for homiletic teaching rather than for deciding Jewish law.
The Standard Hebrew Letter Values
This calculator uses the standard method, called mispar hechrechi. The first nine letters count 1 to 9, the next nine count by tens from 10 to 90, and the last four count by hundreds from 100 to 400.
Five letters change shape at the end of a word: ך, ם, ן, ף and ץ. In the standard method each final form keeps the value of its regular letter, so ם is 40, just like מ. Other systems exist, such as mispar gadol, which gives the final forms values from 500 to 900. This calculator does not use them.
Famous Gematria Examples
Chai (חי), meaning life, is chet (8) plus yod (10), which makes 18. That is why Jews often give gifts and charity in multiples of 18, a custom covered in our bar mitzvah gift guide.
Shalom (שלום), peace, is shin (300) plus lamed (30) plus vav (6) plus final mem (40), for a total of 376. Ahava (אהבה), love, and echad (אחד), one, both equal 13, a pairing many teachers enjoy. The four-letter name of God, yod, he, vav, he, adds up to 26.
The best-known classic case is in the Torah itself. Genesis 14:14 says Abraham went to war with 318 trained men. The Talmud, in Nedarim 32a, records the view that only his servant Eliezer went with him, since Eliezer (אליעזר) adds up to 318. Note that the Talmud presents this as one opinion, not as the plain meaning of the verse.
How to Use the Gematria Calculator
Type or paste a Hebrew word or phrase into the box at the top of the page. The total updates as you type, and each letter appears below it with its own value, so you can check the math. On a phone, add a Hebrew keyboard in your settings, or tap one of the example words to start.
Only Hebrew letters are counted. Spaces, punctuation, vowel points and English letters are skipped, so the total stays the same with or without niqqud. To work with a name, write it in Hebrew letters first. Our Hebrew name generator shows real names in Hebrew spelling, and the Learn Hebrew page walks through the alphabet.
Gematria in Jewish Tradition
For most Jews today, gematria shows up in everyday life through chai: the necklace, the toast, the check for 36 or 180 dollars. In study, it has long been a way to find wordplay and memorable links in sacred texts, and kabbalists and later commentators used it widely.
It helps to keep it in proportion. A gematria match is a teaching device, not proof and not a prediction. Rabbinic sources treat it as an aid to interpretation, and any two words can be made to match with enough systems and enough effort. Enjoy the numbers, and read them as tradition always has: as a door into the text, not a code that replaces it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the gematria of chai?
Chai (חי) equals 18: chet is 8 and yod is 10. Because chai means life, 18 and its multiples, such as 36, 54 and 180, are popular amounts for gifts and charity.
What is the gematria of shalom?
Shalom (שלום) equals 376 in the standard method: shin 300, lamed 30, vav 6 and final mem 40.
Do final Hebrew letters have different values?
Not in the standard method, mispar hechrechi, which this calculator uses. Final kaf, mem, nun, pe and tsadi keep the value of the regular letter. A different system, mispar gadol, gives the final forms values from 500 to 900.
Can I find the gematria of an English name?
Gematria works on Hebrew letters, so write the name in Hebrew first and then enter it. Systems that assign numbers to English letters are modern inventions and are not part of Jewish tradition.
Is gematria part of Jewish law?
Mostly not. The Mishnah calls gematria one of the "desserts of wisdom", and the rabbis used it mainly to teach and to find meaning in texts. The Talmud does tie a few legal details to it, but gematria is not a source of Jewish law on its own.