Coptic alphabet
The 32 letters, their names and sounds.
Coptic is written with 32 letters: 25 come from Greek and 7 from Egyptian (Demotic). Each card shows the letter, its name, its sound as read in church today, its value as a number and the key that types it on a computer. Tap a card to copy the letter.
Letters that change sound
Some letters are read differently depending on the letters around them, or on whether the word comes from Greek.
ⲂⲃVita: v as in voice; b at the end of a word.
Before a vowel: v, as in ⲃⲉⲣⲓ (veri, new) and ⲉ̀ⲃⲟⲗ (evol, out). At the end of a word: b, as in ⲛⲟⲩⲃ (noub, gold) and ⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ (ethouab, holy). Many proper names keep b: Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ (Barbara). Before another consonant, teachers differ: often b, but common words keep v, such as ⲁⲃⲃⲁ (avva) and ⲧⲉⲃⲧ (tevt, fish).
ⲄⲅGhamma: gh: a soft g made in the throat.
Hard g as in go before ⲉ, ⲓ, ⲏ or ⲩ: ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ (agios, holy). n before ⲅ, ⲕ, ⲝ or ⲭ: ⲁⲅⲅⲉⲗⲟⲥ (angelos, angel). gh everywhere else: ⲅⲁⲣ (ghar, for). Found almost only in Greek words.
ⲆⲇDelta: th as in this.
d as in day in proper names: Ⲇⲁⲩⲓⲇ (David). th as in this everywhere else: ⲇⲟⲝⲁ (thoxa, glory), ⲇⲓⲁⲕⲱⲛ (thiakon, deacon). Found almost only in Greek words and names.
ⲐⲑThita: th as in think.
t as in tea after ⲥ or ϣ: ⲁⲥⲡⲁⲍⲉⲥⲑⲉ (aspazeste, greet). Some teachers also say t after ⲧ, ⲙ or ⲩ. Elsewhere th: ⲑⲱⲕ (thok, yours), Ⲑⲉⲟⲧⲟⲕⲟⲥ (Theotokos).
ⲒⲓYota: i as in sit.
y as in yes next to another vowel: ⲓⲱⲧ (yot, father), Ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ (Yoannis, John).
ⲜⲝExi: ks, like the x in box.
Example: ⲇⲟⲝⲁ (thoxa, glory). Sometimes said eks at the start of a word or after a consonant.
ⲞⲟO: short o, as in British hot.
ⲟⲩ together reads oo as in food: ⲛⲟⲩϯ (nouti, god). Before another vowel, ⲟⲩ sounds like w: ⲟⲩⲟϩ (owoh, and).
ⲤⲥSima: s as in see.
Often z before ⲙ: ⲕⲟⲥⲙⲟⲥ (kozmos, world).
ⲦⲧTav: t as in tea.
In some Greek words, teachers say d after ⲛ: ⲡⲁⲛⲧⲟⲕⲣⲁⲧⲱⲣ (pandokrator, almighty).
ⲨⲩEpsilon: i as in sit (like ⲓ), in most words.
v after ⲁ or ⲉ: ⲙⲁⲩ (mav, mother), ⲡ̀ⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁ (epnevma, spirit). After ⲟ it forms ⲟⲩ (oo): ⲛⲟⲩϯ (nouti). Elsewhere i: ϩⲩⲙⲛⲟⲥ (himnos, hymn), ⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲟⲥ (martiros, martyr). In church use, the name Epsilon belongs to this letter, not to ⲉ.
ⲬⲭKhi: k in Coptic words; sh or kh in Greek words.
In Coptic words: k, as in ⲭⲏⲙⲓ (kimi, Egypt) and ⲭⲱ (ko, to put). In Greek words: sh before ⲉ, ⲏ, ⲓ or ⲩ, as in ⲭⲉⲣⲉ (shere, hail) and ⲯⲩⲭⲏ (epsishi, soul; some say epsiki); kh elsewhere, a rough h from the throat, as in Ⲡⲓⲭ̀ⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ (pikhristos, Christ).
ⲮⲯEpsi: ps as in lapse.
Often said eps at the start of a word or after a consonant: ⲯⲁⲗⲓ (epsali, hymn).
ϪϫJanja: g as in go; j as in jam before ⲉ, ⲓ or ⲏ.
j before ⲉ, ⲓ or ⲏ: ϫⲉ (je, that, for). Hard g everywhere else: ϫⲟⲙ (gom, power), ⲁϫⲡ (agp, hour).
ϬϭChima: ch as in church.
Ⲡ̀ϭⲟⲓⲥ (epchois, the Lord), ϭⲓ (chi, to take). Many Copts in Egypt say sh instead (epshois).
ϮϯTi: ti, as in tea.
One letter for t + i: ⲛⲟⲩϯ (nouti, god), ϯⲙⲉⲧⲟⲩⲣⲟ (timetouro, the kingdom).
The jinkim
The jinkim (Coptic ϫⲓⲛⲕⲓⲙ, 'movement') is the small slanted stroke, sometimes a dot, written above a letter in Bohairic books, as in ⲛ̀ or ⲉ̀. It tells you how to cut the word into syllables.
Over a consonant: say a short e before that consonant, as a syllable of its own. ⲛ̀ reads en, ⲙ̀ em, ⲫ̀ ef: ⲛ̀ⲑⲟⲕ (en-thok, you), ⲙ̀ⲫ̀ⲣⲏϯ (em-ef-riti, like), Ⲡ̀ϭⲟⲓⲥ (ep-chois, the Lord).
Over a vowel: say that vowel on its own, as a separate syllable, without joining it to the letters around it: ⲉ̀ⲃⲟⲗ (e-vol, out), Ⲙⲁⲣⲓ̀ⲁ (Ma-ri-a), ⲙⲉⲩⲓ̀ (mev-i, thought).
Leaving the jinkim out changes the reading and can change the meaning: ⲡⲓⲥ̀ⲧⲁⲩⲣⲟⲥ is read pi-es-tavros, not pes-tavros.
On this site: tap the letter, then jinkim. With a computer keyboard, press ` before the letter, as with the CS fonts.
The overline and abbreviations
A line drawn above letters has two jobs in Bohairic books.
Abbreviations: holy names and some very frequent words are shortened, and the remaining letters get a line above them. You still read the whole word: Ⲓⲏ̅ⲥ̅ is read Isous (Jesus). In printed Bohairic books the line usually starts after the first letter (Ⲓⲏ̅ⲥ̅), and an article or possessive in front stays outside it (ⲡⲉⲛⲟ̅ⲥ̅, our Lord).
On this site: select the letters, then press overline: each letter gets its line, and the lines join. With a computer keyboard, press = before each letter, as with the CS fonts.
| Written | Full word | Read as | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ⲡ̀ⲟ̅ⲥ̅ | Ⲡ̀ϭⲟⲓⲥ | Epchois (in Egypt often Epshois) | the Lord |
| Ⲓⲏ̅ⲥ̅ | Ⲓⲏⲥⲟⲩⲥ | Isous | Jesus |
| Ⲡⲭ̅ⲥ̅ | Ⲡⲓⲭ̀ⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ | Pikhristos | Christ (literally 'the Christ') |
| Ⲫϯ | Ⲫ̀ⲛⲟⲩϯ | Efnouti | God |
| ⲡⲛ̅ⲁ̅ | ⲡ̀ⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁ | epnevma | spirit |
| ⲉ̅ⲑ̅ⲩ̅ | ⲉⲑⲟⲩⲁⲃ | ethouab | holy (literally 'who is holy') |
| Ⲓⲗ̅ⲏ̅ⲙ̅ | Ⲓⲉⲣⲟⲩⲥⲁⲗⲏⲙ | Ierousalim | Jerusalem |
| Ⲡⲓⲥ̅ⲗ̅ | Ⲡⲓⲥⲣⲁⲏⲗ | Pisrail | Israel |
| ⲁ̅ⲗ̅ | ⲁⲗⲗⲏⲗⲟⲩⲓⲁ | Allilouia | Alleluia |
| ⲥ̅ⲱ̅ⲣ̅ | ⲥⲱⲧⲏⲣ | Sotir | Saviour |
| Ⲇ̅ⲁ̅ⲇ̅ | Ⲇⲁⲩⲓⲇ | David | David |
| ⳧ | ⲥ̀ⲧⲁⲩⲣⲟⲥ | estavros | cross |
Numbers
Letters with a line above are numbers, and their values are added: ⲓ̅ⲃ̅ = 10 + 2 = 12; ⲣ̅ⲕ̅ⲇ̅ = 100 + 20 + 4 = 124. Thousands get a double line (ⲁ̿ = 1000); some school books mark them differently, for example by underlining. Example: ⲁ̿ⲯ̅ⲙ̅ⲅ̅ = 1743. The letter ⲋ (6) is used only as a number.
Each card above shows the number value of its letter.
ⲁ̿ 1000ⲯ̅ 700ⲙ̅ 40ⲅ̅ 3
Questions
How many letters are in the Coptic alphabet?
32 in the alphabet read in church (Bohairic). 25 come from Greek, including ⲋ (Sou), which is only used as the number 6, and 7 come from Demotic Egyptian: ϣ ϥ ϧ ϩ ϫ ϭ ϯ. Some books count 31 letters, leaving out ⲋ.
Which letters are vowels?
Seven letters are vowels: ⲁ ⲉ ⲏ ⲓ ⲟ ⲩ ⲱ. All the others are consonants.
Is the Coptic alphabet the same as Greek?
The shapes are mostly Greek, but the language is not: Coptic is the last stage of ancient Egyptian. It took 25 letters from Greek and added 7 for Egyptian sounds such as sh (ϣ) and f (ϥ). Some shared letters are read differently in church: ⲃ is read v, for example.
Can I copy these letters into Word or a message?
Yes. The letters on this page are text, not pictures: tap a card to copy its letter, or select several and copy them. They show in Word, Google Docs, WhatsApp and on most phones. To type whole words, use the keyboard.
Why do some people read the letters differently?
The sounds here follow the pronunciation used in Coptic Orthodox churches today, often called Greco-Bohairic, taught in Sunday schools since the 1850s. A few rules vary between teachers and regions, and an older reading, called Old Bohairic, survives in some places.