Ethiopian Alphabet ፡ ፊደል

About the Ethiopian alphabet

How many letters are in the Ethiopian alphabet?

Amharic uses 33 basic consonants, and each is written in seven forms, one for each vowel, so 231 letters in all. The chart above adds ቨ (v), a modern letter for borrowed words, which makes 34 rows and 238 letters. On top of these are the -wa forms such as ኳ and ጓ.

What does “fidel” mean?

ፊደል (fidel) means “letter” or “script”. In Amharic and Tigrinya it is the everyday name for the whole writing system; in English it is also called the Ge'ez script or Ethiopic.

Where does the Ethiopian alphabet come from?

It grew out of the ancient South Arabian script, which was carved in the region from around the 9th century BC. Early Ge'ez was written with consonants only. Around the 4th century AD, in the time of the Aksumite kingdom, small marks were added to show the vowels, which is the seven-form system still used today.

What is the difference between Ge’ez and Amharic letters?

Classical Ge'ez has 26 basic letters. Amharic needed sounds Ge'ez did not have, so seven letters were added, each built from an existing one with an extra mark: ሸ ቸ ኘ ጀ ዠ ጨ ኸ. That is how Amharic reaches 33.

Which languages use this alphabet?

Amharic and Tigrinya, Ge'ez itself in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches, and several other languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea, such as Tigre.

How do I type these letters?

Use the Amharic keyboard: type the sound in English letters, so selam becomes ሰላም. To practise reading and writing, try the typing test or memory match.