Making a Mizrach, Part Four

This is Part Four in my six-part series, "Making a Mizrach." It was originally going to be a five-part series: one part done before I started the lettering, and one part done as I completed each of the four letters.  Then I noticed how much blank space would be left at the end, and realized I needed something more than just the word "Mizrach."  Anyway, the three posts directly below this show previous phases of the project.

Now I have completed three out of the four letters of the Hebrew word, "Mizrach," mem-zayin-resh. These three letters spell out "mizra."

This might be a good time to tell you an important thing about the Hebrew alphabet.  In the Hebrew alphabet, there are no vowels.  Every single letter is a consonant.  The vowels are a separate system of dots and dashes that go underneath and above, and sometimes in the middle of, the letters.

Obviously, without vowels, consonants make no sound at all.  If I had space on my Mizrach, which I don't, I might put the vowels that go with the consonants that spell the word.  I might not, however; by the time one gets to my level of Hebrew knowledge, one is reading and writing, fluently, without vowels.

Anyway.  Here is a picture of my Mizrach, currently spelling out "mizra."