Shin (ש) means you put one piece of gelt into the pot. If you land on Shin and have nothing left to give, you're out of the game. Shin stands for Sham, Hebrew for "there."
Shin in the game
Shin is the only spin that costs you. Put one piece in the pot and pass the dreidel.
The upside: every Shin makes the pot bigger, so somebody's next Gimel is worth more. It might even be yours.
What if you have no gelt?
If you land on Shin with zero pieces, you can't pay, and you're out. That's the main way people get knocked out of dreidel. The other is when the pot needs refilling and you have nothing to put in.
Until one of those happens, you stay in even with zero gelt. One good spin and you're back.
House rule: Shin costs more
Some families make Shin cost 2 or 3 pieces instead of one. It drains everyone faster and makes for a shorter game. Agree on it before you start. The standard rules, and our online game, use one piece.
What Shin stands for
Shin is the first letter of שם, Sham, meaning "there." It finishes the phrase Nes Gadol Haya Sham, "A great miracle happened there."
In Yiddish it lines up with shtel arayn, "put in." The German game used S for Stell ein, also "put in."
Shin vs. Peh
Dreidels made in Israel don't have a Shin. They have a Peh (פ) instead, for Po, "here," because the miracle happened in Israel. In the game, Peh and Shin are exactly the same: put one in. More on why Israeli dreidels are different.
How to recognize Shin
Easiest letter on the dreidel. Three prongs pointing up, joined at the bottom, like a crown or a W.
Fun facts about Shin
- Shin is the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet, second to last.
- Its number value is 300, by far the highest on the dreidel.
- In Hebrew text a dot over the right or left prong tells you whether it's "sh" or "s." Dreidels skip the dot.
Updated October 2026