View source for Shin (letter)

{{short description|Twenty-first letter in many Semitic alphabets}}
{{Phoenician glyph|letname=Shin|previouslink=Resh|previousletter=Resh|nextlink=Taw|nextletter=Taw|archar={{lang|ar|س}}, {{lang|ar|ش}}|sychar=ܫ|hechar=ש|amchar=𐡔|gechar=ሠ|phchar=𐤔|grchar=[[Σ]]|lachar=[[S]], [[ẞ]]|cychar=[[С]], [[Ш]], [[Щ]], [[Ж]]|ipa={{IPA link|ʃ}}, {{IPA link|s}}{{sfn|Kogan|2011|p= 54}}|num=21|gem=300}}
'''Shin''' (also spelled '''Šin''' (''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|šīn}}'') or '''Sheen''') is the twenty-first and penultimate [[Letter (alphabet)|letter]] of the [[Semitic abjads]], including [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] ''šīn'' 𐤔, [[Hebrew alphabet|Hebrew]] ''šīn'' {{Script|Hebr|ש}}, [[Aramaic alphabet|Aramaic]] ''šīn'' 𐡔, [[Syriac alphabet|Syriac]] ''šīn'' ܫ, and [[Arabic script|Arabic]] ''sīn'' {{Script|Arabic|س}}.{{efn|The position of Arabic ''shīn'' {{lang|ar|ش}} is 21st in the common abjadi order (according to the Arab Grammarian Adnan Al-Khatib it's the older and more correct order),{{sfn|Al-baghdadi|2025|pp=182}} and the 28th in the Maghrebian [[abjadi order]] (quoted by apparently earliest authorities and considered older according to Macdonald); its numerical value is 300 in the common abjadi order, and 1000 in the Maghrebian abjad order.{{sfn|Macdonald|1986|pp=117, 130, 149}} Its sound value is a {{IPAblink|ʃ}}. }}{{efn|name= s1s2|According to McDonald (1986), "there can be no doubt that {{lang|ar|ش‎‎}} is a formal derivative of {{lang|ar|س}} and that {{lang|ar|س}} is descended from 𐡔."{{sfn|Macdonald|1986|p= 123}}}}

The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek [[Sigma (letter)|Sigma]] ({{script|Grek|Σ}}) (which in turn gave rise to the Latin {{lang|la|[[S]]}}, the German ''[[ẞ]]'' and the Cyrillic [[Es (Cyrillic)|С]]), and the letter ''[[Sha (Cyrillic)|Sha]]''  in the  [[Glagolitic alphabet|Glagolitic]] and [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] scripts ({{script|Glag|[[File:Glagolitic_sha.svg|class=skin-invert-image|8px]]}}, {{script|Cyrl|Ш}}). The [[Old South Arabian alphabet|South Arabian]] and [[Ge'ez alphabet|Ethiopian]] letter ''[[Śawt]]'' is also cognate. The letter ''šīn'' is the only letter of the Arabic alphabet with three dots with a letter corresponding to a letter in the Northwest Semitic abjad or the Phoenician alphabet.

==Origins==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Egyptian hieroglyph
! Proto-Sinaitic 
! Phoenician
! Paleo-Hebrew 
|- style="text-align:center;"
|<hiero>Aa32</hiero>
| [[File:Proto-canaaniteŠ01.svg|class=skin-invert-image|frameless|35x35px]]
| [[File:Phoenician sin.svg|class=skin-invert-image|35px]]
| [[File:Early_Aramaic_character_-_shin.png|class=skin-invert-image]]
|}

The [[Proto-Sinaitic]] glyph, according to [[William F. Albright|William Albright]], was based on a "tooth" and with the phonemic value š "corresponds etymologically (in part, at least) to original Semitic ''ṯ'' (th), which was pronounced ''s'' in South Canaanite".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Albright |first=W. F. |title=The Early Alphabetic Inscriptions from Sinai and their Decipherment |journal=Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research |volume=110 |year=1948 |issue=110 |pages=6–22 [p. 15] |doi=10.2307/3218767 |jstor=3218767 |s2cid=163924917 }}</ref> However, the Proto-Semitic word for "tooth" has been reconstructed as *'''''š'''inn-''.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://sed-online.ru/reconstructions/64|title= *šinn- - tooth|website= Semitic Etymological Database Online|access-date= 19 August 2024}}</ref>

The Phoenician {{transliteration|sem|šin}} letter expressed the continuants of two Proto-Semitic phonemes, and may have been based on a pictogram of a tooth (in [[Hebrew language|modern Hebrew]] ''shen''). 

The history of the letters expressing sibilants in the various Semitic alphabets is somewhat complicated, due to different mergers between [[Proto-Semitic]] phonemes. As usually reconstructed, there are nine [[Proto-Semitic language|Proto-Semitic]] [[coronal consonant|coronal]] [[fricative consonant|fricative]] phonemes that evolved into the various sibilants of its daughter languages, as follows:

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="16" |Voiceless consonants<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schneider |first=Roey |date=2024 |title=The Semitic Sibilants |url=https://www.academia.edu/87823763 |journal=The Semitic Sibilants |pages=31, 33, 36}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2" |Proto-Semitic
![[Old South Arabian|Old South<br/>Arabian]]
![[Ancient North Arabian|Old North<br/>Arabian]] 
![[Modern South Arabian languages|Modern South<br/>Arabian]] <sup>1, 2</sup>
! colspan="2" |[[Modern Standard Arabic|Standard<br/>Arabic]]
! colspan="2" |[[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]
! colspan="2" |[[Modern Hebrew|Modern<br/>Hebrew]]
! colspan="2" |[[Geʽez|Ge'ez]]
! colspan="2" |[[Phoenician language|Phoenician]]
! [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]
|-
!s₃ (s)
! {{IPA|[s] / [ts]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩯}}
|𐪏
|{{IPA|/s/}}
| rowspan="2" |<big>{{script|Arab|س|label=none}}</big>
| rowspan="2" |{{IPA|/s/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|ס}}
|s
| {{script|Hebrew|ס}} || {{IPA|/s/}}
| rowspan="3" | {{script|Ethi|ሰ}} || rowspan="3" |  s
| {{script|Phnx|𐤎}} || s
| s
|-
!s₁ (š)
! {{IPA|[ʃ] / [s]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩪}}
|𐪊
|{{IPA|/ʃ/}}, <small>sometimes</small> {{IPA|/h/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|ש}}
|š
| rowspan="2" | {{script|Hebrew|שׁ}}|| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/ʃ/}}
| rowspan="3" | {{script|Phnx|𐤔}} || rowspan="3" |  š
| rowspan="3" | š
|-
!ṯ 
! {{IPA|[θ]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩻}}
|𐪛
|{{IPA|/θ/}}
|<big>{{Script|Arab|ث|label=none}}</big>
|{{IPA|/θ/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|ש}}, <small>later</small> {{script|Hebrew|ת}}
|*ṯ, š,<br /><small>later</small> t
|-
!s₂ (ś)
! {{IPA|[ɬ]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩦}}
|𐪆
|{{IPA|/ɬ/}}
|<big>{{script|Arab|ش|label=none}}</big>
|{{IPA|/ʃ/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|ש}}, <small>later</small> {{script|Hebrew|ס}}
|*ś, s
| {{script|Hebrew|שׂ}} || {{IPA|/s/}}
| {{script|Ethi|ሠ}} || ś
|-
! colspan="16" |Emphatic consonants
|-
! colspan="2" |Proto-Semitic
!Old South<br/>Arabian
!Old North<br/>Arabian
!Modern South<br/>Arabian
! colspan="2" |Standard<br/>Arabic
! colspan="2" |Aramaic
! colspan="2" |Modern<br/>Hebrew
! colspan="2" |Ge'ez
! colspan="2" |Phoenician
! Akkadian
|-
!ṣ
! {{IPA|[sʼ] / [tsʼ]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩮}}
|𐪎
|{{IPA|/sʼ/}}, <small>rarely</small> {{IPA|/ʃʼ/}}
|<big>{{script|Arab|ص|label=none}}</big>
|{{IPA|/sˤ/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|צ}}
|ṣ
| rowspan="3" | {{script|Hebrew|צ}} || rowspan="3" | {{IPA|/t͡s/}}
| rowspan="2" | {{script|Ethi|ጸ}} || rowspan="2" | ṣ
| rowspan="3" | {{script|Phnx|𐤑}} || rowspan="3" |  ṣ
| rowspan="3" | ṣ
|-
!ṯ̣
! {{IPA|[θʼ]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩼}}
|𐪜
|{{IPA|/θʼ ~ ðˤ/}}
|<big>{{script|Arab|ظ|label=none}}</big>
|{{IPA|/ðˤ/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|צ}}, <small>later</small> {{script|Hebrew|ט}}
|*ṱ, ṣ,<br /><small>later</small> ṭ
|-
!ṣ́
! {{IPA|[ɬʼ] / [tɬʼ]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩳}}
|𐪓
|{{IPA|/ɬʼ/}}
|<big>{{script|Arab|ض|label=none}}</big>
|{{IPA|/dˤ/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|ק}}, <small>later</small> {{script|Hebrew|ע}}
|*ṣ́, q/ḳ,<br /><small>later</small> ʿ
| {{script|Ethi|ፀ}} || ṣ́
|-
! colspan="16" |Voiced consonants
|-
! colspan="2" |Proto-Semitic
!Old South<br/>Arabian
!Old North<br/>Arabian
!Modern South<br/>Arabian
! colspan="2" |Standard<br/>Arabic
! colspan="2" |Aramaic
! colspan="2" |Modern<br/>Hebrew
! colspan="2" |Ge'ez
! colspan="2" |Phoenician
! Akkadian
|-
!z
! {{IPA|[z] / [dz]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩸}}
|𐪘
|{{IPA|/z/}}
|<big>{{script|Arab|ز|label=none}}</big>
|{{IPA|/z/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|ז}}
|z
| rowspan="2" | {{script|Hebrew|ז}} || rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/z/}}
| rowspan="2" | {{script|Ethi|ዘ}} || rowspan="2" | z
| rowspan="2" | {{script|Phnx|𐤆}} || rowspan="2" |  z
| rowspan="2" | z
|-
!ḏ
! {{IPA|[ð]}}
|{{script|Sarb|𐩹}}
|𐪙
|{{IPA|/ð/}}
|<big>{{script|Arab|ذ|label=none}}</big>
|{{IPA|/ð/}}
|{{script|Hebrew|ז}}, <small>later</small> {{script|Hebrew|ד}}
|*ḏ, z,<br /><small>later</small> d
|-
| colspan="16" |Notes
# s₁ (š) is {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, <small>sometimes</small> {{IPA|[h]}} and {{IPA|[j<sup>ɦ</sup>]}} (in [[Soqotri language|Soqotri]]) - {{IPA|[ʃ]}} and {{IPA|[ɕ<sup>w</sup>]}} (for some speakers of [[Shehri language|Jibbali]])
# ṯ {{IPA|[θ]}}, ḏ {{IPA|[ð]}} and ṯ̣ {{IPA|[θʼ]}} merge with {{IPA|[t]}}, {{IPA|[d]}}, and {{IPA|[tʼ]}} in Soqotri
|}

==Arabic shīn{{anchor|Arabic}}==
{{Infobox grapheme
| name = Šīn شين
| letter = ش
| script = [[Arabic script]]
| type = [[Abjad]]
| language = [[Arabic language]]
| phonemes = {{IPA link|ʃ}}
| alphanumber = 13
| direction = Right-to-left
| fam2 = 𐡔
| fam3 = 𐢜 ,𐢝‎
| fam4 = [[س]]
| fam1 = [[𐤔]]
}}
{{see also|Samekh|Sin (letter)}}
Based on Semitic linguists (hypothesized), Samekh has no surviving descendant in the [[Arabic alphabet]], and that sīn is derived from Phoenician ''šīn'' 𐤔 rather than Phoenician ''sāmek'' 𐤎, but it corresponds exclusively to Arabic {{lang|ar|س}} ''Sīn'' when comparing etymologically to other Semitic languages. In the Mashriqi [[abjadi order]] {{lang|ar|س}} Phonec''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|sīn}}'' takes the place of [[Samekh]] at 15th position;{{efn|Which is occupied by {{lang|ar|ص}} ''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|ṣad}}'' in the Maghrebian [[abjadi order]].}} meanwhile, the {{lang|ar|ش}} ''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|shīn}}'' is placed at the 21st position, represents {{IPA|/ʃ/}}, and is the 13th letter of the modern ''hijā’ī'' ({{lang|ar|هِجَائِي}}) or ''alifbāʾī'' ({{lang|ar|أَلِفْبَائِي}}) order and is written thus:
{{Arabic alphabet shapes|ش}}

In the Arabic alphabet, according to McDonald (1986), "there can be no doubt that {{lang|ar|ش‎‎}} is a formal derivative of {{lang|ar|س}} and that {{lang|ar|س}} is descended from 𐡔."{{sfn|Macdonald|1986|p=123}} but unlike the Hebrew {{Script|Hebr|ש}} Sīn/Šīn and Aramaic {{Script|Armi|𐡔‎}} Sīn/Šīn, Arabic {{lang|ar|س}} Sīn is considered a completely separate letter from {{lang|ar|ش}} Šīn {{IPAslink|ʃ}}. 

The Arabic letter ''shīn'' was an acronym for "something" ({{lang|ar|شيء}} ''shayʾ(un)'' {{IPA|ar|ʃajʔ(un)|}}) meaning the unknown in algebraic equations. In the transcription into Spanish, the Greek letter [[Chi (letter)#Greek|''chi'' (χ)]] was used which was later transcribed into Latin ''x''. The letter ''shīn'', along with ''[[Ṯāʾ]]'', are the only two surviving letters in Arabic with three dots above. According to some sources, this is the origin of ''x'' used for the unknown in the equations.<ref>[https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_why_is_x_the_unknown Terry Moore: Why is 'x' the unknown?]</ref><ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=x&searchmode=none Online Etymological Dictionary]</ref>  However, according to other sources, there is no historical evidence for this.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cajori|first=Florian|title=A History of Mathematical Notation|year=1993|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmathema00cajo_0|url-access=registration|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|access-date=11 October 2012|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmathema00cajo_0/page/382 382]–383|isbn=9780486677668|quote=Nor is there historical evidence to support the statement found in Noah Webster's Dictionary, under the letter x, to the effect that 'x was used as an abbreviation of Ar. shei (a thing), something, which, in the Middle Ages, was used to designate the unknown, and was then prevailingly transcribed as xei.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Oxford Dictionary |edition=2nd |quote=There is no evidence in support of the hypothesis that x is derived ultimately from the mediaeval transliteration xei of shei "thing", used by the Arabs to denote the unknown quantity, or from the compendium for L. res "thing" or radix "root" (resembling a loosely-written x), used by mediaeval mathematicians.}}</ref>  In [[Modern Arabic mathematical notation#Mathematical letters|Modern Arabic mathematical notation]], {{lang|ar|س}} ''sīn'', i.e. ''shīn'' [[Rasm|without its dots]], often corresponds to Latin ''x''. This led a debate to many Semitic linguists that the letter ''shīn'' is Arabic for [[samekh]], although many Semitic linguists argue this debate as samekh has no surviving descendant in the [[Arabic alphabet]].

In the [[Maghreb|Maghrebian]] abjad sequence :

* {{lang|ar|ص}} ''Ṣād'' replaces Samekh at 15th position and retains the numerical value of 60;
* {{lang|ar|س}} Sīn replaces Šīn at 21st position and retains the numerical value of 300.
* {{lang|ar|ش}} Šīn takes the places of the 28th letter with a numerical value of 1000.

==Aramaic shin/sin==

In [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]], where the use of ''shin'' is well-determined, the orthography of ''sin'' was never fully resolved.

To express an etymological *{{transliteration|sem|ś}}, a number of dialects chose either ''sin'' or ''samek'' exclusively, where other dialects switch freely between them (often 'leaning' more often towards one or the other). For example:<ref>[http://cal1.cn.huc.edu The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon]</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! ''ʿaśar''
"ten"
! Old Aramaic
! Imperial Aramaic
! Middle Aramaic
! Palestinian Aramaic
! Babylonian Aramaic
|-
| <big>{{Script/Hebrew|עשר}}</big>
| Syrian Inscriptions
| Idumaean Ostraca, Egyptian, Egyptian-Persian, Ezra
| Qumran
| Galilean
| Gaonic, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic
|-
| <big>{{Script/Hebrew|עסר}}</big>
| Tell Halaf
| ''(none recorded)''
| Palmyrene, Syriac
| Zoar, [[Christian Palestinian Aramaic]]
| Mandaic
|-
| <big>both</big>
| ''(none recorded)''
| ''(none recorded)''
| ''(none recorded)''
| Targum Jehonathan, Original Manuscript Archival Texts, Palestinian Targum (Genizah), Samaritan
| Late Jewish Literary Aramaic
|}

Regardless of how it is written, *{{transliteration|sem|ś}} in spoken Aramaic seems to have universally resolved to /s/.

==Hebrew shin/sin==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="5" |<small>[[Orthography|Orthographic]] variants</small>
|-
! colspan="3" |<small>Various print fonts</small>
! rowspan="2" |<small>[[Cursive Hebrew|Cursive<br>Hebrew]]</small>
! rowspan="2" |<small>[[Rashi script|Rashi<br>script]]</small>
|-
!|<small>Serif</small> !! <small>[[Sans-serif]]</small> !! <small>[[Monospaced font|Monospaced]]</small>
|-
| width="20%" |<span style="font:30pt 'Times New Roman', 'SBL Hebrew', David, Narkisim, 'New Peninim MT', 'Taamey Frank CLM', serif;">ש</span>
| width="20%" |<span style="font:28pt Arial, 'DejaVu Sans Condensed', 'DejaVu Sans', Tahoma, 'Noto Sans Hebrew', Alef, sans-serif;">ש</span>
| width="20%" |<span style="font:30pt 'Courier New', 'Miriam Fixed', 'Miriam Mono CLM', FreeMono, monospace;">ש</span>
| width="20%" |[[File:Hebrew letter Shin handwriting.svg|class=skin-invert-image|28px]]
| width="20%" |[[File:Shin (Rashi-script - Hebrew letter).svg|class=skin-invert-image|20px]]
|}

Hebrew spelling: <big>{{lang|he|שִׁין}}</big>

The Hebrew {{IPA|/s/}} version according to the reconstruction shown above is descended from Proto-Semitic  *{{transliteration|sem|ś}}, a [[phoneme]] thought to correspond to a [[voiceless alveolar lateral fricative]]  {{IPA|/ɬ/}}, similar to Welsh ''Ll'' in "[[Llandudno]]" ({{IPA|cy|ɬanˈdɨdnɔ|lang|LL-Q9309_(cym)-Jason.nlw-Llandudno.wav}}).

See also [[Biblical Hebrew phonology|Hebrew phonology]], [[Śawt]].

===Sin and Shin dot===<!--------[[Shin dot]], [[Sin dot]], [[ׁ]], [[ׂ]] redirect to this heading  ------->
The Hebrew letter represents two different phonemes: a [[sibilant]] {{IPAslink|s}}, like English '''s'''our, and a {{IPAslink|ʃ}}, like English '''sh'''oe. Prior to the advent and ascendancy of [[Tiberian Hebrew|Tiberian]] orthography, the two were distinguished by a superscript [[samekh]], i.e. {{Script|Hebr|ש}} vs. {{Script|Hebr|ש<sup>ס</sup>}}, which later developed into the dot. The two are distinguished by a dot above the left-hand side of the letter for {{IPAslink|s}} and above the right-hand side for {{IPAslink|ʃ}}. In the biblical name [[Issachar]] ({{langx|he|יִשָּׂשכָר}}) only, the second sin/shin letter is always written without any dot, even in fully vocalized texts. This is because the second sin/shin is always silent.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
! Name
! Symbol
! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
! [[Transliteration]]
! Example
|-
| style="text-align: left" | Sin dot (left)
| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">שׂ</span>}}
| {{IPAslink|s}}
| s
| '''s'''our
|-
| style="text-align: left" | Shin dot (right)
| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:200%;">שׁ</span>}}
| {{IPAslink|ʃ}}
| sh
| '''sh'''op
|}

===Unicode encoding===
{| class="wikitable"
! Glyph
! Unicode
! Name
|-
| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:xx-large; line-height:normal; margin-left:10px;">&#x5C1;</span>}}
|U+05C1
|SHIN DOT
|-
| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:xx-large; line-height:normal; margin-left:10px;">&#x5C2;</span>}}
|U+05C2
|SIN DOT
|}

===Significance===

[[File:Shinchangepho.png|thumb|alt=forms of letter shin phoenician|The rapid evolution of kaf, mem, shin from the 13th-8th c are especially helpful to date "les écritures phéniciennes archaïques."<ref>Dussaud 1924</ref><ref>Two distinct forms of the Phoenician shin are shown, the later more resembling Hebrew's.</ref>]]
In [[gematria]], Shin represents the number 300. The breakdown of its namesake, Shin[300] - Yodh[10] - Nunh[50] gives the [[geometry|geometrical]] meaningful number [[360 (number)|360]], which can be interpreted as encompassing the fullness of the degrees of [[circle]]s.

Shin as a [[Prefix (linguistics)|prefix]] commonly used in late-Biblical and Modern Hebrew language carries similar meaning as specificity faring [[relative pronoun]]s in English: "that (..)", "which (..)" and "who (..)". When used this way, it is pronounced as 'sheh-' (IPA /ʃɛ-/.
In colloquial Hebrew, [[Kaph]] and Shin together are a contraction of {{lang|he|כּאשר}}, ''ka'asher (''as, when).

Shin is also one of the seven letters which receive “crowns” (called ''[[Tag (Hebrew writing)|tagin]]'') in a [[Sefer Torah]]. (See [[Gimmel]], [[Ayin]], [[Teth]], [[Nun (letter)|Nun]], [[Zayin]], and [[Tzade|Tzadi]]).

According to [[Book of Judges|Judges]] 12:6, the tribe of [[Ephraim]] could not differentiate between Shin and [[Samekh]]; when the [[Gilead]]ites were at war with the [[Tribe of Ephraim|Ephraimite]]s, they would ask suspected Ephraimites to say the word '''''shi'''bboleth''; an Ephraimite would say '''''si'''bboleth'' and thus be exposed. This episode is the origin of the English term [[shibboleth]].

====In Judaism====
Shin also stands for the word [[El Shaddai|Shaddai]], a Name of God. A [[kohen]] forms the letter Shin with each of his hands as he recites the [[Priestly Blessing]]. In the mid-1960s, actor [[Leonard Nimoy]] used a single-handed version of this gesture to create the [[Vulcan salute|Vulcan hand salute]] for his character, [[Mr. Spock]], on ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]''.<ref>[[Star Trek: The Original Series]], episode #30 "[[Amok Time]]" (production #34), and ''[[I Am Not Spock]]'', [[Leonard Nimoy]], 1977.</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |people=Nimoy, Leonard (Narrator) |date=February 6, 2014 |title=Live Long and Prosper: The Jewish Story Behind Spock, Leonard Nimoy's Star Trek Character |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyiWkWcR86I  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/DyiWkWcR86I |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|access-date=February 27, 2015 |publisher=Yiddish Book Center }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The letter Shin is often written on the case of a [[mezuzah]], a scroll of parchment containing select Biblical texts. Sometimes the whole word ''Shaddai'' will be written.

The Shema Yisrael prayer also commands the Israelites to write God's commandments on their hearts (Deut. 6:6); the shape of the letter Shin mimics the structure of the human [[heart]]: the lower, larger left [[Ventricle (heart)|ventricle]] (which supplies the full body) and the smaller right ventricle (which supplies the lungs) are positioned like the lines of the letter Shin.

A religious significance has been applied to the fact that there are three valleys that comprise the city of Jerusalem's geography: the Valley of Ben Hinnom, Tyropoeon Valley, and [[Kidron Valley]], and that these valleys converge to also form the shape of the letter shin, and that the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] is located where the dagesh (horizontal line) is. This is seen as a fulfillment of passages such as {{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|16:2}} that instructs Jews to celebrate the Pasach at "the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name" (NIV).

In the [[Sefer Yetzirah]] the letter Shin is King over Fire, Formed Heaven in the Universe, Hot in the Year, and the Head in the Soul.

The 13th-century Kabbalistic text [[Sefer HaTemunah]], holds that a single letter of unknown pronunciation, held by some to be the four-pronged shin on one side of the [[teffilin]] box, is missing from the current alphabet. The world's flaws, the book teaches, are related to the absence of this letter, the eventual revelation of which will repair the universe.

==== In Russian ====
[[File:Cyrillic letter Sha - uppercase and lowercase.svg|class=skin-invert-image|thumb|The [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] letter "[[Sha (Cyrillic)|sha]]" is sometimes said to derive from the Hebrew letter ''shin'', emphasizing the letters’ similarity.]]
The corresponding letter for the {{IPAslink|ʃ}} sound in [[Russian language|Russian]] is nearly identical in shape to the Hebrew ''shin''. Given that the [[Cyrillic script]] includes borrowed letters from a variety of different alphabets such as [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] and [[Latin alphabet|Latin]], it is often suggested that the letter ''[[Sha (Cyrillic)|sha]]'' is directly borrowed from the Hebrew letter ''shin'' (other hypothesized sources include [[Coptic alphabet|Coptic]] and [[Samaritan alphabet|Samaritan]]).

====Hebrew terms containing ''Shin''====
''Shin Bet'' is a commonly used acronym for the Israeli [[Shin Bet|Department of Internal General Security]]. Despite referring to a former name of the department, it remains the term usually used in English. In Modern Hebrew and Palestinian Arabic, the security service is known as the ''Shabak''.

A ''Shin-Shin clash'' is [[Israel Defense Forces|Israeli military]] parlance for a battle between two tank divisions (from {{langx|he|שִׁרְיוֹן|shiryon|armour|link=no}}).

''Sh'at haShin'' ('Shin hour') is the last possible moment for any action, usually in a military context. Corresponds to the English expression ''{{Wikt-lang|en|eleventh hour}}''.

==Syriac shin==
{{Arabic alphabet shapes|ܫ‎}}

==Character encodings==

{{charmap
|05E9|name1=Hebrew Letter Shin
|0633|name2=Arabic Letter Seen
|0634|name3=Arabic Letter Sheen
|072B|name4=Syriac Letter Shin
|FB2A|name5=Hebrew Letter Shin With Shin Dot
|FB2B|name6=Hebrew Letter Shin With Sin Dot
|FB2C|name7=Hebrew Letter Shin With Dagesh And Shin Dot
|FB2D|name8=Hebrew Letter Shin With Dagesh And Sin Dot
}}

{{charmap
|0814|name1=Samaritan Letter Shan
|214F|name2=Symbol for Samaritan Source
|1038C|name3=Ugaritic Letter Shen
|10854|name4=Imperial Aramaic Letter Shin
|10914|name5=Phoenician Letter Shin
|10A86|name6=Old North Arabian Letter Es-2
|10A66|name7=Old South Arabian Letter Shin
|1220|name8=Ethiopic Letter Sza
}}

==See also==
*[[Sin (letter)]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite journal|first1= Michael C. A.|last1=Macdonald|author-link1= Michael C. A. Macdonald|year= 1986|title= ABCs and letter order in Ancient North Arabian|journal= Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies|issue= 16|pages= 101–168}}
* {{cite book |last=Al-baghdadi |first=Zaki |title=منظومة الحروف العربية |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i5YzEQAAQBAJ&dq=الترتيب+الابجدي+القادم&pg=PA180 |year=2025 |publisher=King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language |pages=182 |language=Arabic |trans-title=The Arabic Alphabet System |chapter=Chapter 5}}
* {{cite book|last=Kogan|first=Leonid|editor-last=Weninger|editor-first=Stefan|title=The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SMzgBLT87MkC&pg=PA54|year=2011|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-025158-6|pages=54–151|chapter=Proto-Semitic Phonology and Phonetics}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Shin (letter)}}
{{Arabic language}}
{{Hebrew language}}
{{Northwest Semitic abjad}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shin (Letter)}}
[[Category:Phoenician alphabet]]
[[Category:Arabic letters]]
[[Category:Persian letters]]
[[Category:Hebrew letters]]
[[Category:Urdu letters]]