Peh (פ) shows up on dreidels made in Israel, in place of Shin. It stands for Po, Hebrew for "here," so the letters read "A great miracle happened here." In the game, Peh works exactly like Shin: you put one piece into the pot.
Peh in the game
Same job as Shin. Land on Peh and you put one piece in the pot. If you can't pay, you're out.
If you're playing with a mix of dreidels from Israel and from anywhere else, nothing changes. Peh and Shin mean the same thing.
Why Israeli dreidels have Peh
Outside Israel, the letters spell out Nes Gadol Haya Sham, "A great miracle happened there." The Hanukkah story took place in the Land of Israel, so in Israel "there" becomes "here." Sham (שם) becomes Po (פה), and the Shin becomes a Peh.
We go deeper on why Israeli dreidels are different.
Peh, Pe, Pey or Fe?
All the same letter. You'll see it spelled Peh, Pe, Pey and Pei. With a dot inside it's pronounced "p." Without the dot it's "f," and some people call it Feh. On a dreidel it's Peh, as in Po.
How to recognize Peh
Peh looks like a little mouth, which is fitting, because the word peh in Hebrew means "mouth." It's closed on the right and open on the left, with a small stroke curling down inside like a tongue.
Fun facts about Peh
- Peh is the 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
- Its number value is 80.
- Like Nun, it has a different shape at the end of a word. The final Peh (ף) drops a long tail below the line.
Try an Israeli dreidel
Our online game has a Jerusalem dreidel with Peh on it. Pick it on the start screen before you play.
Updated October 2026