There is a Hebrew letter embossed or printed on each of the dreidel's four sides: “nun” (נ) - “gimmel” (ג) - “hay” (ה) - “shin” (ש). These four letters form the acronym of the phrase: Nes gadol hayah sham, “a great miracle happened there,” a reference to the Chanukah miracle that transpired in the Land of Israel.