How to Play Dreidel: Rules, Symbols, and What They Mean

If you have ever sat on the floor at a Hanukkah party while a little top wobbled across the table and everyone shouted at once, you have played dreidel, or at least watched it. It looks like a simple children's game, and it is. But each of the four letters on the dreidel carries a message, and the game has a story of its own. Once you know the rules and the meaning, you can teach it to anyone in about two minutes.

What is a dreidel? A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top used to play a game during Hanukkah. Each side has a Hebrew letter, Nun, Gimel, Hei, or Shin, which stand for "a great miracle happened there." Players take turns spinning, and the letter that lands face up decides whether you win nothing, everything, half, or have to add to the pot.

What Is a Dreidel, and Why Do We Spin It?

A dreidel is a small top with four flat sides and a stem on top for spinning. Dreidel is a Yiddish word that comes from dreyen, to turn. In Hebrew it is called a sevivon, from the root meaning to spin. Dreidels can be made of wood, plastic, clay, or metal, and come in every size, from tiny ones for little hands to large decorative pieces.

The dreidel is played during the eight nights of Hanukkah, usually after the menorah is lit, when families sit together while the candles burn. If you are new to the holiday, our guide to what Hanukkah is explains the story behind it.

What Do the Dreidel Symbols Mean? Four Letters, One Message

Each of the dreidel's four sides has one Hebrew letter. Together, they form the first letters of the phrase Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, "a great miracle happened there." That miracle is the story of Hanukkah: the Maccabees' victory and the small jar of oil that burned for eight days.

Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin: What Each Letter Tells You

Here is what each letter stands for, and what it means in the game:

An easy way to remember the game rules is to think of the Yiddish words that start with the same sounds: nisht, nothing; gantz, all; halb, half; and shtel, put in. Generations of children learned the game that way.

Why Israeli Dreidels Use a Pei Instead of a Shin

In Israel, dreidels replace the Shin with the letter Pei, for Po, here. The phrase becomes Nes Gadol Hayah Po, "a great miracle happened here," because Israel is where the Hanukkah story took place. In the game, Pei works exactly like Shin: you put one piece into the pot.

How to Play Dreidel, Step by Step

You can play dreidel with two people or twenty. All you need is a dreidel and something small to play for.

1. Give everyone the same number of pieces. Ten to fifteen coins, candies, nuts, or chocolate gelt each is a good start.
2. Fill the pot. Each player puts one piece into the middle.
3. Take turns spinning. Spin the dreidel by its stem so it twirls on the table.
4. Read the top letter when it falls over.
5. Follow the letter: Nun, nothing. Gimel, take the whole pot. Hei, take half. Shin or Pei, put one piece in.
6. Refill the pot whenever it is empty, or after someone spins Gimel, by having every player put in one piece.
7. Pass the dreidel to the next player.
8. Keep playing until one person has everything, or until you decide to stop, often when the candles burn down.

Dreidel Rules and the Small Twists Families Add

Dreidel rules are simple, but families have their own small twists.

What You Need to Play

You need one dreidel, a flat surface, and a set of game pieces. Chocolate gelt, the gold foil coins sold at Hanukkah, is the classic choice. Nuts, raisins, pennies, and small candies work just as well. If you are playing with young children, let everyone keep what they win so nobody leaves empty-handed.

Scoring, Half Pots, and Running Out of Pieces

When someone spins Hei and the pot has an odd number of pieces, most families round up and let the player take the larger half. Others round down. Decide before you start. If a player runs out of pieces, they are usually out of the game, though many families let them keep playing for fun.

Variations to Try on a Long Hanukkah Night

Some families play a timed round and see who has the most pieces when the candles go out. Others hold spinning contests to see whose dreidel spins the longest. For an extra challenge, try spinning your dreidel upside down on its stem.

How to Teach Dreidel to Young Children

Dreidel is often the first Hanukkah tradition a child learns, and it is easy to adapt for little ones. Keep the rounds short, use something they love as game pieces, and let everyone win something by the end of the night.

Simple Words Children Can Remember for Each Letter

Young children will not remember Hebrew words right away, so give each letter a simple job. You might say: Nun is "nothing," Gimel is "get it all," Hei is "half," and Shin is "share one." Once they know the game, you can teach them the real meaning, Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, a great miracle happened there, and tell them the Hanukkah story.

How to Make Your Own Dreidel at Home

You can make a simple dreidel at home with a small square of cardboard, a pencil, and markers. Draw the four letters on the four sides of the square, push the pencil through the center, and spin it. Children can also shape dreidels from air-dry clay and paint them. Making your own dreidel turns the game into a craft project for a quiet afternoon during Hanukkah.

Where Does the Dreidel Come From? Legend and History

There are two stories about the dreidel, and it helps to know the difference between them.

The popular legend says that when the Seleucid Greeks outlawed Torah study, Jewish children studied in secret. When soldiers came near, they hid their books and pulled out spinning tops, so it looked like they were only playing. It is a moving story, but historians have not found evidence for it from that period, so it is best told as a legend.

Historians more often connect the dreidel to spinning-top games played across Europe, such as the English and Irish "teetotum" and a German game, where each side of the top had a letter telling players what to do. Jewish communities in Europe adapted the game for Hanukkah, replacing the letters with Hebrew ones that tell the Hanukkah story. That adaptation is a beautiful example of how Jewish families took an ordinary game and turned it into a way to teach their children.

Playing Dreidel for Tzedakah: When the Pot Goes to Others

Here is a simple tradition that changes the whole feel of the game. Instead of keeping the winnings, players agree at the start that the final pot goes to tzedakah, giving to people in need. Children still get the thrill of winning, but they also get to decide where the money will go. It turns a game of luck into a lesson about sharing.

Some families count the pot at the end of all eight nights and give it together. Others give in multiples of 18, the number that stands for life. If your children ask why, our guide to why we give in multiples of 18 explains it in a way kids can follow. And if you want a different idea for each night, read our night-by-night Hanukkah guide.

A Game That Teaches Giving

The dreidel's message is printed right on its sides: a great miracle happened there. For centuries, families have used this little top to pass that story on to children who were too young to sit through a history lesson but old enough to love a game. It works because it is fun first.

At 18.fund, offered in collaboration with the Shabata Demalkata Foundation, donations help provide Shabbat meals and holiday essentials for families in need across the US. If your family plays for tzedakah this year, the pot can become a holiday meal for a family who needs one. For more ways to celebrate the eight nights, read our guide to Hanukkah prayers and blessings.

Turn the Pot Into a Meal

Frequently Asked Questions