What Is a Kippah?
Kippah guides · Kippah vs yarmulke · How to choose a kippah · Luxury kippahs
What Is a Kippah?
What wearing one actually means
The plain meaning is the simplest one. You cover your head because something is above you. The Hebrew word kippah (כיפה) means a dome or a covering, and the practice is usually explained as an act of awareness rather than an act of law: a person who keeps his head covered is reminded, all day, that he is not the highest thing in the room. The Yiddish name yarmulke is often glossed the same way, from the Aramaic for "fear of the King".
It matters that this is a custom and not a commandment stated in the Torah. The practice grows out of the Talmud, is treated as pious behaviour by the medieval authorities, and hardens over centuries into near-universal practice. That history is why you meet real variation and very little argument about it.
Communities land in three places. Some men keep their heads covered from waking to sleeping. Some cover for prayer, for saying a blessing, for Torah study and at the table. Some cover only in a synagogue, or at a funeral or a wedding. All three are real positions held by real communities. Where it matters to you, follow your own community and ask your own rabbi rather than a website.
Who wears one, and when
Men and boys, mainly. A boy is often given his first kippah very young, well before he can be obliged in anything. Marriage does not change the rule: an unmarried man covers his head on the same terms as a married one. What married men in some communities add is a second covering, a hat over the kippah for prayer, which is a separate custom and not a replacement.
Married women in traditionally observant communities cover their hair, but with a scarf, a snood or a wig rather than a kippah. In parts of the Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and Masorti world, women and girls do wear a kippah, and this is unremarkable in those settings. In Orthodox settings it is not the practice. The honest answer to "may a woman wear one" is that it depends entirely on which community you are standing in.
Ashkenazi and Sephardi custom differ in emphasis and in style as much as in rule. Sephardi communities have their own long tradition of head covering and their own preferred shapes; Ashkenazi practice runs from the small crown-sized kippah of a modern Orthodox man to the deep black velvet worn in Hasidic communities. Guests at a synagogue or a Jewish wedding are usually expected to cover their heads whether or not they are Jewish, which is why there is a basket of plain kippot at the door.
Kippah, yarmulke, koppel: one object, three languages
These are the same thing. Kippah is Hebrew and is the word you will see on Israeli signage and on most product listings, plural kippot. Yarmulke is Yiddish and is what most American Ashkenazi families say out loud. Koppel is also Yiddish, common in Hasidic and yeshiva speech, and it means the same object. Russian speakers say кипа. None of these words denotes a different item, a different size or a different level of observance. If you want the full etymology and the regional map of who says what, we have written it up separately in kippah vs yarmulke.
How a kippah is made, and what changes between them
A kippah is a shallow dome built from flat panels. The maker cuts identical wedge-shaped or segmented pieces, joins them, and the seams pull the flat material into a curve. Everything that distinguishes one kippah from another comes down to five decisions, and once you can name them you can read any listing quickly.
| What varies | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Number of panels | How round the dome is. Fewer, wider panels give a flatter cap with visible facets. More, narrower panels give a smoother, more even curve and a more finished look, and cost more to sew. |
| Diameter | How much of the head is covered, and how well it stays on. This is the number that matters most and the one buyers most often guess at. |
| Depth | How far down the sides come. A shallow cut perches on the crown. A deep cut sits down over the back of the head and holds itself in place. |
| Edging | The finished rim. A contrast binding or a rolled edge changes how the kippah reads against hair colour and how well the rim keeps its shape over years of wear. |
| Material | Weight, grip, formality and price. Suede and velvet grip hair; leather and denim are smoother and rely on fit or a clip. |
Our own adult kippot are cut in three shapes, named "Classic", "Modern" and "770", plus "Baby" and "Newborn" for children. All are hand-finished by the atelier's craftsmen and most of the range is made to order, so allow roughly three to four weeks. The shape-by-shape comparison lives in how to choose a kippah, and the deep-crowned 770 cut, the one associated with Chabad, has its own page at 770 kippahs.
Sizing, the question nobody answers
Kippot are sized by the diameter of the flat circle before it is sewn, given in millimetres. Our range runs roughly 130 mm to 165 mm. That sounds like a narrow spread. On a head it is not.
At around 130 mm you get a crown cap. It covers the flat top of the head and stops there, it is barely visible from the front, and it is the size that needs a clip or thick hair to stay put.
At around 150 mm the kippah covers the crown and reaches a little past it, is clearly visible from behind, and on most adult men will sit without help unless you are moving fast.
At around 165 mm you get real coverage. The rim comes down towards the back of the head, more of the underside is in contact with hair, and the kippah grips. Larger diameter means more contact and more security, which is why people who dislike clips simply size up. It also reads as more traditional, because the wider, deeper proportions are the ones associated with Hasidic and yeshiva dress.
Buying for someone else with no measurement to hand: 150 mm is the safe guess for an adult man. For a baby or a toddler, buy a purpose-cut child's size rather than a small adult one; see baby kippahs. For a bar mitzvah boy who will be photographed all day, size up rather than down, and read bar mitzvah kippahs first.
Materials, and what each one suits
| Material | Suits |
|---|---|
| Denim | Everyday wear, boys, travel, anything that will be sat on and stuffed in a pocket. It softens with use rather than looking worn out, and it is where the range starts. |
| Suede | The best grip of any material, so the size that would slip in leather stays put in suede. Warm, matte, quiet. A good default for daily wear. |
| Velvet | The traditional formal and Hasidic choice, almost always black. Reads as the most observant option in a room. |
| Velour | Softer and lighter than velvet with a similar depth of colour. Comfortable for long wear in warm weather. |
| Leather | Smooth, structured, holds a crisp edge. It photographs well and ages well, and it is the material that most rewards a slightly larger diameter because it grips least. |
| Exotic leathers | Ostrich, python and crocodile. These are the pieces bought for a wedding, a milestone or as a gift, and they are priced accordingly. |
What to pay
The whole range sits in luxury kippahs. Most of it is made to order, so allow roughly three to four weeks from order to dispatch, longer for a commission. Engraving is $50 and adds production time on top of that, which is worth knowing if the kippah is for a fixed date. Shipping is free worldwide.
| Price | Piece | Buy it for |
|---|---|---|
| $75 | Kippah "Classic" made of denim | A first good kippah, or a spare for the car and the office drawer. |
| $170 | Kippah "Classic" made of denim with pattern | Daily wear with something to look at. Still hard-wearing. |
| $250 | Kippah "770" made of velvet | Shabbat, festivals, and anywhere the dress code is traditional. |
| $300 | Kippah "Classic" in suede with Swarovski crystals | A bar mitzvah or a wedding, where it will be seen close up. |
| $450 | Kippah "Modern" "Brooklyn starry sky" in black Italian leather | A designed piece from the Valentin Yudashkin collaboration. |
| $600 | Kippah "770" made of ostrich | A gift with visible texture, in the deep traditional cut. |
| $1,950 | Kippah "Modern" in blue crocodile with a Star of David | A milestone piece. Made to order. |
If you want denim specifically, the reasoning is set out in denim kippahs. For a wedding party, where you may need several matching pieces, start with wedding kippahs. The pieces at the top of the range are discussed in luxury kippahs.
How to keep one on
Three things hold a kippah in place, and most people only ever try one of them.
Fit. The commonest cause of a kippah that will not stay is a kippah that is too small. A larger diameter puts more of the underside in contact with hair, and a deeper cut hugs the curve of the skull instead of balancing on top of it. Before buying clips, try one size up.
Grip. Material does real work here. Suede and velvet hold hair. Smooth leather and satin do not. If you have fine hair, or very short hair, or no hair, choose a gripping material and a wider diameter and you will notice the difference immediately.
Clips. Two small hair clips, one either side, placed under the rim where they are hidden, will hold anything through a windy walk or a dance floor. Bar mitzvah boys and grooms should assume they will need them. Clip through the rim rather than the crown so the fabric is not stressed at a seam.
Storage matters more than people expect. Left flat under a pile, a shaped dome loses its curve. A kippah box or case keeps the shape, and is also how a piece from the upper end of the ladder should be presented if it is a gift. The full set of kippah pages is indexed at kippah guides.