Syriac alphabet

The Syriac alphabet is a writing system used to write the Syriac language from around the 2nd century BC. It is one of the Semitic abjads directly descending from the Proto-Canaanite alphabet.

General remarks

Syriac is written from right to left. It is a cursive (joined-up) script, where some, but not all, letters connect within a word. The alphabet consists of 22 letters, all of which are consonants. The vowel sounds are supplied by the reader's memory or by pointing (a system of diacritical marks to indicate the correct reading). In fact, three letters act as matres lectionis: rather than being a consonant, they indicate a vowel. The first letter, 'Ālaph, often represents a glottal stop, but it can also indicate a vowel at the beginning or the end of a word. The letter Waw is technically a w, but can also represent the vowels o and u. Likewise, the letter Yōdh represents the consonant y, but it also stands for the vowels i and e.

Forms of the Syriac alphabet

There are three major variations of the Syriac alphabet. The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is Estrangelā (the name is derived from the Greek description στρογγυλη, strongylē, 'rounded'). Although Estrangelā is no longer used as the main script for writing Syriac, it has received a bit of a revival. It is often used in scholarly publications (for instance, the Leiden University version of the Peshitta), in titles and inscriptions.

The West Syriac dialect is usually written in the Sertā ('line') form of the alphabet, also known as the Maronite or the Jacobite script. Most of the letters are obviously derived from Estrangelā, but are simplified, flowing lines. The Arabic alphabet was based on the Nabatean alphabet, which was based on this form of Syriac handwriting. The Western script is usually vowel-pointed with miniature Greek vowel letters above or below the letter which they follow: Α (capital alpha) represents a, α (lowercase alpha) represents ā (pronounced as an o), ε (lowercase epsilon) represents e and ē, Ι (capital iota) represents ī, and a combined symbol of Υ (capital upsilon) and ο (lowercase omicron) represents ū.

The East Syriac dialect is usually written in the Madnhāyā ('Eastern') form of the alphabet. Other names for the script include Assyrian (not to be confused with the traditional name for the Hebrew alphabet), Chaldean, and, inaccurately, 'Nestorian', a term that was originally used to disparage Christians living in the Persian Empire. The Eastern script resembles Estrangelā more closely than the Western script. The Eastern script uses a system of dots above or below letters to indicate vowels.

When Arabic began to be the dominant spoken language in the Fertile Crescent, texts were often written in Arabic with the Syriac script. These writings are usually called Karshuni or Garshuni.

Short table

The Syriac alphabet consists of the following letters. Some letters have a different form used at the ends of words: these are shown in the table below the normal form.

ܐ ܒ ܓ ܕ ܗ ܘ ܙ ܚ ܛ ܝ ܟܟ ܟ ܠ ܡܡ ܢܢ ܣ ܥ ܦ ܨ ܩ ܪ ܫ ܬ ܡ ܢ

Aleph	Beth	Gamal	Daleth	He	Waw	Zayin	Heth	Teth	Yodh	Kaph
ܐ	ܒ	ܓ	ܕ	ܗ	ܘ	ܙ	ܚ	ܛ	ܝ	ܟܟ
										ܟ
Lamedh	Mem	Nun	Simketh	Ayin	Pe	Sadhe	Qoph	Resh	Shin	Taw
ܠ	ܡܡ	ܢܢ	ܣ	ܥ	ܦ	ܨ	ܩ	ܪ	ܫ	ܬ
	ܡ	ܢ

Letters of the Syriac alphabet

Letter	Estrangelā (classical)			Madnhāyā (eastern)			Unicode character	Pronunciation
Letter	Normal form	Final connected	Final unconnected	Normal form	Final connected	Final unconnected	Unicode character	Pronunciation
		SyriacAlaph.png	SyriacAlaph2.png		ܐ	ʔ (glottal stop) or silent
aramaic_beth_c.png		SyriacBeth.png	SyriacBeth2.png		ܒ	hard: b (voiced bilabial plosive) soft: v (voiced labiodental fricative) or w (labial-velar approximant)
aramaic_gamal_c.png		SyriacGamal.png	SyriacGamal2.png		ܓ	hard: g (voiced velar plosive) soft: ɣ (voiced velar fricative)
		SyriacDalath.png			ܕ	hard: d (voiced alveolar plosive) soft: ð (voiced dental fricative)
		SyriacHe.png			ܗ	h (voiceless glottal fricative)
		SyriacWaw.png			ܘ	>consonant: w (labial-velar approximant) mater lectionis: u (close back rounded vowel) or o (close-mid back rounded vowel)
		SyriacZayn.png			ܙ	z (voiced alveolar fricative)
aramaic_kheth_c.png		SyriacKheth.png	SyriacKheth2.png		ܚ	ħ (voiceless pharyngeal fricative) or x (voiceless velar fricative)
aramaic_teth_c.png		SyriacTeth.png	SyriacTeth2.png		ܛ	tˁ (pharyngealized voiceless alveolar plosive)
aramaic_yodh_c.png		SyriacYodh.png	SyriacYodh2.png		ܝ	consonant: j (voiced palatal approximant) mater lectionis: i (close front unrounded vowel) or e (close-mid front unrounded vowel)
aramaic_kap_c.png	aramaic_kap_f.png	SyriacKaph.png	SyriacKaph2.png	SyriacKaph3.png	ܟ	hard: k (voiceless velar plosive) soft: x (voiceless velar fricative)
aramaic_lamadh_c.png		SyriacLamadh.png	SyriacLamadh2.png		ܠ	l (alveolar lateral approximant)
aramaic_meem_c.png		SyriacMeem.png	SyriacMeem2.png		ܡ	m (bilabial nasal)
aramaic_noon_c.png	aramaic_noon_f.png	SyriacNun.png	SyriacNun2.png	SyriacNun3.png	ܢ	n (alveolar nasal)
aramaic_simkath_c.png		SyriacSimkath.png	SyriacSimkath2.png / SyriacSimkath3.png		ܣ / ܤ	s (voiceless alveolar fricative)
aramaic_ain_c.png		Syriac'E.png	Syriac'E2.png		ܥ	ʕ (voiced pharyngeal fricative)
aramaic_payin_c.png		SyriacPe.png	SyriacPe2.png		ܦ	hard: p (voiceless bilabial plosive) soft: f (voiceless labiodental fricative) or w (labial-velar approximant)
		SyriacSadhe.png			ܨ	sˁ (pharyngealized voiceless alveolar fricative)
aramaic_qoph_c.png		SyriacQop.png	SyriacQop2.png		ܩ	q (voiceless uvular plosive)
		SyriacResh.png			ܪ	r (alveolar trill)
aramaic_sheen_c.png		SyriacSheen.png	SyriacSheen2.png		ܫ	ʃ (voiceless postalveolar fricative)
		SyriacTaw.png			ܬ	hard: t (voiceless alveolar plosive) soft: θ (voiceless dental fricative)
		SyriacLamadhAlaph3.png				Lāmaḏ and 'Ālaf combined at end of word
		SyriacAlaph.png SyriacTaw.png	SyriacTawAlaph.png	SyriacTawAlaph2.png / SyriacTawAlaph3.png		Taw and 'Ālaf combined at end of word

Syriac in Unicode

The Syriac Unicode range is U+0700 ... U+074F.

700

710

720

730

740

HTML code table

Alaph Bet

ܕ	ܓ	ܒ	ܐ
ܕ	ܓ	ܒ	ܐ
ܚ	ܙ	ܘ	ܗ
ܚ	ܙ	ܘ	ܗ
ܠ	ܟܟ	ܝ	ܜ
ܠ	ܟ	ܝ	ܛ
ܥ	ܣ	ܢܢ	ܡܡ
ܥ	ܤ	ܢ	ܡ
ܪ	ܩ	ܨ	ܦ
ܪ	ܩ	ܨ	ܦ
		ܬ	ܫ
		ܬ	ܫ

Vowels and Unique Characters

ܲ	ܵ
ܲ	ܵ
ܸ	ܹ
ܸ	ܹ
ܼ	ܿ
ܼ	ܿ
̈	̰
̈	̰
܀	܂
܀	܂
܄
܄

External links

Abjad writing systems | Aramaic languages

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