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The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BC. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as well as consonants.
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Learn about the Greek alphabet, the first writing system using a separate symbol for each vowel and consonant, and its origin from the Phoenician alphabet. Find out the names, pronunciation, numeric value and more info of each of the 24 Greek alphabet letters in English and Greek.
Greek alphabet letters are used as math and science symbols. Greek alphabet list. Upper Case Letter Lower Case Letter Greek Letter Name English Equivalent
- Overview
- Classical Greek alphabet
- Classical Greek numerals
- Modern Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is a writing system that was developed in Greece about 1000 BCE. It is the direct or indirect ancestor of all modern European alphabets. It was derived from the North Semitic alphabet via that of the Phoenicians.
How is the Greek alphabet used today?
The Greek alphabet is still used for the Greek language today. The letters of the Greek alphabet are now also used as symbols for concepts in equations of the interrelated fields of mathematics and science—for example, the lowercase alpha (⍺) can be used to represent an angle in mathematics.
Is the Greek alphabet the same as the Cyrillic alphabet?
The Greek alphabet is not the same as the Cyrillic alphabet. But the Cyrillic alphabet was heavily based upon the Greek alphabet, so the two writing systems resemble each other. The Cyrillic alphabet was created during the Middle Ages, and it includes additional letters to account for the sounds which Slavic languages use that aren’t present in Greek. The Cyrillic alphabet is now also used for non-Slavic languages, such as Kyrgyz and Tajik.
Why was the Greek alphabet a significant development?
The table indicates the Classical Greek alphabet.
The table indicates the Classical Greek numerals.
The table indicates the Modern Greek alphabet.
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- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Aug 1, 2023 · The Greek alphabet was derived from the Phoenician script of 22 characters without vowels. The Greek alphabet added vowels and two letters bringing the script up to 24 letters. Why is it called an "alphabet"? The Greek alphabet is so-called from the first two characters in the system: alpha (A) and beta (B). What was the impact of the Greek ...
- Joshua J. Mark
Mar 22, 2024 · Almost all the letters are pronounced the way they are written, and there are no silent letters in Greek. There are some special letter combinations you need to be aware of, which we’ll cover once we learn the Greek alphabet in order. Learning about the Greek alphabet was one of my favourite parts of studying Greek.
The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BC. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as well as consonants. In Archaic and early Classical times, the Greek alphabet existed in many local variants, but, by the end of the 4th century BC, the ...
