Syriac alphabet

The Syriac alphabet (ܐܠܦ ܒܝܬ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ʾālep̄ bêṯ Sūryāyā) is a <a href="/facts/Writing_system/ABG251A0">writing system</a> primarily used to write the <a href="/facts/Syriac_language/mLhEtdSW">Syriac language</a> since the 1st century AD. It is one of the <a href="/facts/Semitic_languages/WCYrz4Qm">Semitic</a> <a href="/facts/Abjad/Hn50ebWn">abjads</a> descending from the <a href="/facts/Aramaic_alphabet/hoqRfbYP">Aramaic alphabet</a> through the <a href="/facts/Palmyrene_alphabet/UEDclbgv">Palmyrene alphabet</a>, and shares similarities with the <a href="/facts/Phoenician_alphabet/Vr4smuYg">Phoenician</a>, <a href="/facts/Hebrew_alphabet/qQStmr5u">Hebrew</a>, <a href="/facts/Arabic_alphabet/hCA1a0xq">Arabic</a> and <a href="/facts/Sogdian_alphabet/fMM61MF8">Sogdian</a>, the precursor and a direct ancestor of the traditional <a href="/facts/Mongolian_script/QFFR5rwl">Mongolian scripts</a>.
Syriac is written from right to left in horizontal lines. It is a <a href="/facts/Cursive/sbW2bKYq">cursive</a> script where most—but not all—letters connect within a word. There is no <a href="/facts/Letter_case/KQcwaUUD">letter case</a> distinction between upper and lower case letters, though some letters change their form depending on their position within a word. Spaces <a href="/facts/Word_divider/3kM5CYBW">separate</a> individual words.
All 22 letters are consonants (called ܐܵܬܘܼܬܵܐ‎, ātūtā). There are optional diacritic marks (called ܢܘܼܩܙܵܐ‎, nuqzā) to indicate vowels (called ܙܵܘܥܵܐ‎, zāwˁā) and other features. In addition to the sounds of the language, the letters of the Syriac alphabet can be used to represent numbers in a system similar to <a href="/facts/Hebrew_numerals/I8ezGsaM">Hebrew</a> and <a href="/facts/Greek_numerals/vTLzPG0W">Greek numerals</a>.
Apart from Classical Syriac Aramaic, the alphabet has been used to write other dialects and languages. Several Christian Neo-Aramaic languages from <a href="/facts/Turoyo_language/I8WTq4LX">Turoyo</a> to the <a href="/facts/Northeastern_Neo-Aramaic/FxLLKEkG">Northeastern Neo-Aramaic</a> dialect of <a href="/facts/Suret_language/QcY8Smky">Suret</a>, once <a href="/facts/Vernacular/DEmxDgM3">vernaculars</a>, primarily began to be written in the 19th century. The Serṭā variant specifically has been adapted to write <a href="/facts/Western_Neo-Aramaic/1ur3aGda">Western Neo-Aramaic</a>, previously written in the <a href="/facts/Aramaic_alphabet/hoqRfbYP">square Maalouli script</a>, developed by George Rizkalla (Rezkallah), based on the <a href="/facts/Hebrew_alphabet/qQStmr5u">Hebrew alphabet</a>. Besides Aramaic, when <a href="/facts/Arabic/A1e66hVV">Arabic</a> began to be the dominant spoken language in the <a href="/facts/Fertile_Crescent/KLHIjwQe">Fertile Crescent</a> after the <a href="/facts/Early_Muslim_conquests/HyPkljcc">Islamic conquest</a>, texts were often written in Arabic using the Syriac script as knowledge of the Arabic alphabet was not yet widespread; such writings are usually called Karshuni or <a href="/facts/Garshuni/0obqtJea">Garshuni</a> (ܓܪܫܘܢܝ‎). In addition to <a href="/facts/Semitic_languages/WCYrz4Qm">Semitic languages</a>, <a href="/facts/Sogdian_language/yMPGFtBu">Sogdian</a> was also written with Syriac script, as well as <a href="/facts/Malayalam/YLuvDWd3">Malayalam</a>, which form was called <a href="/facts/Suriyani_Malayalam/Iy3xdVJk">Suriyani Malayalam</a>.

Syriac alphabet open-in-new

Syriac alphabet