Greek Alphabet
Decipher the Greek alphabet
About the Greek Alphabet
The Greek alphabet is one of the oldest alphabets in the world, dating back to around the 8th century BC. It is generally considered the first alphabet that has both vowels and consonants, and it laid the foundation for many other writing systems, including the Latin alphabet that we use today.
The Greek alphabet consists of 24 letters: seven vowels and seventeen consonants. Each letter has both an uppercase and a lowercase variant. The Greek alphabet is still used in Greece and Cyprus, and also in science and mathematics.
Some of the most well-known letters include alpha (Α, α), beta (Β, β), gamma (Γ, γ), and delta (Δ, δ). Many of the letters have symbolic meanings in science; for example, the letter pi (Π, π) is used to represent the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, and the letter sigma (Σ, σ) is used to denote the sum of a series of numbers.
The Greek alphabet also has some unique features. For example, the letter sigma has a different form (ς) when it is placed at the end of a word. In addition, some letters, such as beta and theta, have sounds that do not directly correspond to any single letter in English.
Learning the Greek alphabet can be useful, not only for learning the Greek language, but also for understanding scientific terminology and for studies in areas such as philosophy, history, and theology.
Overview Table
| Greek Uppercase | Greek Lowercase | Corresponding Letter(s) | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Α | α | A | Alpha |
| Β | β | B | Beta |
| Γ | γ | G | Gamma |
| Δ | δ | D | Delta |
| Ε | ε | E | Epsilon |
| Ζ | ζ | Z | Zeta |
| Η | η | H | Eta |
| Θ | θ | Th | Theta |
| Ι | ι | I | Iota |
| Κ | κ | K | Kappa |
| Λ | λ | L | Lambda |
| Μ | μ | M | Mu |
| Ν | ν | N | Nu |
| Ξ | ξ | X | Xi |
| Ο | ο | O | Omicron |
| Π | π | P | Pi |
| Ρ | ρ | R | Rho |
| Σ | σ/ς | S | Sigma |
| Τ | τ | T | Tau |
| Υ | υ | U/Y | Upsilon |
| Φ | φ | Ph | Phi |
| Χ | χ | Ch | Chi |
| Ψ | ψ | Ps | Psi |
| Ω | ω | O | Omega |