The guttural Hebrew letters Resh (ר), Het (ח), and Khaf (כ) require specific tongue and throat placements.

These letters use the back of your throat to create unique friction.

However, training your mouth to make these sounds is entirely possible with the right physical cues.

This guide will break down exactly where these sounds come from and how to practice them.

The Hebrew Het and Khaf sounds

In modern Hebrew, the letters Het (ח) and Khaf (כ) make the exact same sound.

This sound is known in linguistics as a voiceless uvular fricative.

If that sounds complicated, just think of it as the sound you make when clearing your throat.

It’s also identical to the harsh “ch” sound in the Scottish word “loch” or the German name “Bach”.

To make this sound, you need to raise the back of your tongue toward your uvula.

Then, push air continuously through that narrow space.

Your vocal cords shouldn’t vibrate at all while doing this.

Here are a few common Hebrew words that use this guttural sound:

The Hebrew Resh (R) sound

The Hebrew letter Resh (ר) is completely different from the English “R”.

It’s also very different from the rolled “R” used in Spanish or Italian.

Modern Israeli Hebrew uses a voiced uvular fricative for this letter.

This is almost identical to the French “R” sound.

To produce this sound, you position your throat exactly as you did for the Het and Khaf.

The only difference is that you must vibrate your vocal cords as you push the air out.

It feels very similar to gently gargling water in the back of your throat.

Here are some common words featuring the Hebrew Resh:

Practical exercises for guttural sounds

Training your throat muscles to make these new sounds takes physical practice.

A great starting point is the water gargling method.

Take a small sip of water and gently gargle it in the back of your throat.

Pay close attention to the vibration and the placement of your tongue.

Spit the water out and try to recreate that exact same friction with just air.

If you vibrate your vocal cords during this friction, you’re making the Resh sound.

If you only push air without vibrating your vocal cords, you’re making the Het sound.

Another good exercise is whispering the Resh sound.

When you whisper a Resh, it naturally turns into a Het because whispering forces you to turn off your vocal cords.

If you want to hear native speakers pronouncing these sounds in real conversations, I highly recommend listening to the audio dialogues on Talk In Hebrew.

Putting guttural sounds into practice

Once you understand the mechanics, you need to practice saying these sounds in full sentences.

Pay attention to how the air flows from the back of your throat in the following phrases.

Regional variations in Hebrew pronunciation

The guttural sounds we just covered represent standard Modern Israeli Hebrew.

This standard accent is heavily influenced by European Ashkenazi pronunciation.

However, you’ll hear different pronunciations from Israelis of Middle Eastern descent.

Mizrahi and Yemenite Jews traditionally pronounce Het (ח) and Khaf (כ) as two entirely distinct sounds.

In this tradition, Het is a pharyngeal sound produced much deeper in the throat.

It sounds very similar to the raspy Arabic letter Haa (ح).

Additionally, the Yemenite and Mizrahi Resh is often rolled at the front of the mouth.

This rolled Resh sounds just like the Spanish or Italian “R”.

While Modern Israeli Hebrew is the standard you should aim to learn, it’s helpful to recognize these variations when listening to native speakers.