Yodh (also spelled jodh, yod, or jod) is the tenth letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician Yōd /𐤉, Hebrew Yōd , Aramaic Yod , Syriac Yōḏ ܝ, and Arabic . Its sound value is in all languages for which it is used; in many languages, it also serves as a long vowel, representing . The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Iota (Ι), Latin I and J, Cyrillic І, Coptic (Ⲓ) and Gothic eis . The term yod is often used to refer to the speech sound , a palatal approximant, even in discussions of languages not written in Semitic abjads, as in phonological phenomena such as English "yod-dropping". Origins Yod originated from a hieroglyphic “hand”, or *yad. Hebrew Yod Hebrew spelling: ;Fileformat.info colloquial The letter appears with or without a hook on different sans-serif fonts, for example Arial, DejaVu Sans, Arimo, Open Sans: י Tahoma, Alef, Heebo: י Pronunciation In both Biblical and modern Hebrew, Yod represents a palatal approximant (). As a mater lectionis, it represents the vowel . 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 , , or . Significance In gematria, Yod represents the number ten. As a prefix, it designates the third person singular (or plural, with a Vav as a suffix) in the future tense. As a suffix, it indicates first person singular possessive; av (father) becomes avi (my father). "Yod" in the Hebrew language signifies iodine. Iodine is also called يود yod in Arabic. In religion Two Yods in a row designate the name of God Adonai and in pointed texts are written with the vowels of Adonai; this is done as well with the Tetragrammaton. As Yod is the smallest letter, much kabbalistic and mystical significance is attached to it. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus mentioned it during the Antithesis of the Law, when he says: "One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Jot, or iota, refers to the letter Yod; it was often overlooked by scribes because of its size and position as a mater lectionis. In modern Hebrew, the phrase "tip of the Yod" refers to a small and insignificant thing, and someone who "worries about the tip of a Yod" is someone who is picky and meticulous about