Kippah, Yarmulke and Skullcap: What Is the Difference?

Kippah, yarmulke, skullcap, kappel, koppel. Five words, one object: the small head covering worn by Jewish men, and by a growing number of Jewish women. The words differ by language and community, not by meaning.

Kippah or Yarmulke: Which Word Is Correct?

Both are correct. They come from different languages.

• Kippah (כִּפָּה) is Hebrew. It means dome or covering. The plural is kippot. This is the standard term in Israel and increasingly in English-speaking communities.
• Yarmulke is Yiddish, most likely from the Polish jarmułka, a type of cap. It remains common among Ashkenazi Jews in North America and Europe.
• Skullcap is the plain English description.
• Kappel or koppel is Yiddish and used in some Hasidic communities.

A popular folk etymology derives yarmulke from the Aramaic yarei malka, meaning fear of the King. It is memorable, and almost certainly not the actual origin. The Polish derivation is the one linguists accept.

Why Do Jews Cover Their Heads?

The kippah is not commanded in the Torah. It developed as a custom, and the reasoning behind it has been articulated over many centuries.

The Talmud records the practice of covering the head as an expression of reverence. One passage describes a man whose mother insisted he cover his head so that awe of heaven would be upon him. The idea is spatial and simple: something is always above you.

Later authorities treated head covering as established custom rather than optional. In Jewish law a practice widely adopted by the community can acquire binding force even without a biblical source, and that is broadly where the kippah sits today.

When Is It Worn?

Practice varies more than outsiders expect.

• Orthodox men generally cover their heads at all times, indoors and out.
• Conservative and Masorti Jews commonly wear one for prayer, study and meals, and often throughout the day.
• Reform Jews vary widely. Many wear one only in synagogue; some not at all.
• Secular Jews may wear one at a funeral, a wedding or a bar mitzvah and at no other time.

Visitors to a synagogue, Jewish or not, are usually asked to cover their heads, and baskets of spare kippot are kept by the door for that purpose. Wearing one as a guest is a gesture of respect, not a claim to be Jewish.

Do Women Wear a Kippah?

Traditionally the kippah is worn by men. Married women in Orthodox communities cover their hair instead, with a scarf, hat or wig, for reasons of modesty rather than reverence.

In Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist communities many women wear a kippah, particularly when leading prayer or reading Torah. It is one of the clearer visible markers of how a community understands gender and ritual.

What Kippot Are Made Of

Material and style carry information, sometimes quite precise information about affiliation.

• Black velvet is associated with Haredi and yeshivish communities.
• Knitted or crocheted kippot, the kippah seruga, are strongly associated with Religious Zionism in Israel.
• Suede and leather are common at synagogues and life-cycle events.
• Satin is the typical disposable kippah handed out at weddings, often printed with the couple's names and the date.
• Bukharian kippot are larger, embroidered and cover more of the head.

In Israel a stranger's kippah can indicate their community, politics and often which schools their children attend. It is a small object carrying a lot of social signal.

How the Kippah Stays On

Usually with a clip, and otherwise through friction, hope and a certain amount of practice. Kippah clips are ordinary hair clips sewn or pinned to the edge. Larger kippot stay put more easily than small ones, which is part of why the small suede variety has a reputation for ending up on the floor.

Common Questions

Can a non-Jew wear a kippah?

Yes, and in a synagogue it is normal and expected. Outside that setting it is unusual, and some would read it as appropriating a religious marker rather than showing respect. Context does most of the work here.

Is wearing a kippah required by Jewish law?

It is not a biblical commandment. It is a long-standing custom which most halakhic authorities treat as obligatory for men in practice.

What is the plural of kippah?

Kippot, following Hebrew. Kippahs is common in English and understood everywhere.

Do you wear a kippah under a hat?

Often yes. In many communities the kippah stays on under a hat, so that the head remains covered when the hat comes off.

A Note on Visibility

Wearing a kippah in public is the most immediately visible way to be identified as Jewish. Since 2023, as antisemitic incidents have risen across Europe and North America, that visibility has become a live question for many. Some have switched to a baseball cap in public. Others have deliberately kept the kippah on. Neither choice is wrong, and both are made for the same reason.

From the MoT Shop

We do not make kippot. We print Jewish and pro-Israel designs onto apparel, shipped worldwide and made to order. If you are looking for something to wear that carries the same identity, browse our Star of David and Jewish symbols collection, our Israel flag apparel, or read about the meaning of the Star of David.