The Armenian Alphabet - 39 Unique Letters, Ancient Script & More

Q: How many letters are in the Armenian alphabet?

The Armenian alphabet has 39 letters [2] . This includes 38 unique letters plus one ligature, each with its own name and distinct sound, created by Saint Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD.

Q: Who created the Armenian alphabet and why?

The Armenian alphabet was created by Saint Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD for several important reasons: • Preserve Armenian culture and prevent assimilation into Greek or Persian cultures • Translate the Bible into Armenian for Christian worship • Create literature and educational materials in the native language • Strengthen national identity through a unique writing system It was a cultural revolution that saved Armenian civilization !

Q: What makes Armenian letters so special?

Armenian letters have remarkable characteristics : • Each letter has a name - like Ա (Ayb), Բ (Ben), Գ (Gim) • Perfectly designed for Armenian sounds - no borrowed letters needed • Unchanged for 1,600+ years - incredible historical continuity • Beautiful calligraphy traditions that are still practiced today It's like having a perfectly tailored suit for the Armenian language !

Q: Is Armenian related to other languages?

Armenian has a fascinating linguistic position : • Independent branch of Indo-European - not closely related to any other language • Ancient connections to Greek and other Indo-European languages • Two main dialects - Western and Eastern Armenian • Historical influences from Persian, Turkish, and Arabic through contact It's like being the unique cousin in a big language family !

Q: Where is Armenian spoken today?

Armenian is spoken in many places worldwide : • Republic of Armenia - the Constitution names Armenian as the state language for public life and education [4] • Eastern Armenian communities across the Caucasus and Middle East maintain the Mashtots alphabet in daily use [2] • Western Armenian diaspora in Europe and the Americas preserves the script through cultural and church-based schools [2] • National census programs track Armenian speakers to support education and cultural planning [3]

Q: How can I start learning Armenian letters?

Learning Armenian letters is an exciting journey : • Start with letter names - Ա (Ayb), Բ (Ben), Գ (Gim), Դ (Da) • Practice writing - Armenian has beautiful flowing script • Learn simple words like "բարև" (hello) and "շնորհակալություն" (thank you) • Connect with culture - letters are tied to Armenian poetry and music • Use memory aids - many letters look like their sounds or meanings You're learning one of humanity's most historic alphabets !

Armenian Alphabet at a Glance

39 unique letters (Ա-Ֆ) defining the Armenian script ^[1]
Created by Saint Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD - over 1,600 years old ^[2]
Known as Հայկական այբուբեն (Haykakan aybuben) in Armenian ^[2]
Independent branch of the Indo-European language family ^[2]
Documented as Armenia's state language in the national census program ^[3]
Cornerstone of Armenian cultural identity and literary heritage ^[2]

Uppercase Letters

[ah]

[beh]

[geh]

[deh]

[yeh]

[zeh]

[eh]

[uh]

[toh]

[zheh]

[ee]

[leh]

[kheh]

[tseh]

[keh]

[hoh]

[dzeh]

[gheh]

[cheh]

[meh]

[yeh]

[noh]

[shah]

[voh]

[chah]

[peh]

[jeh]

[rreh]

[seh]

[veh]

[teh]

[reh]

[tsoh]

[weh]

[poh]

[koh]

[oh]

[feh]

Armenian Lowercase Letters

The Armenian lowercase letters (ա-ֆ) mirror their uppercase counterparts and are used in everyday writing. These letters form words that carry the heritage of one of the world's oldest Christian civilizations.

For example:

In the word "հայերեն" (Armenian language), the name of the language itself, the letters հ (ho), ա (ayb), յ (yi), ե (ech), ր (reh), ե (ech), ն (now) combine to express the identity of this ancient people and their enduring linguistic tradition.

Lowercase Letters

[ah]

[beh]

[geh]

[deh]

[yeh]

[zeh]

[eh]

[uh]

[toh]

[zheh]

[ee]

[leh]

[kheh]

[tseh]

[keh]

[hoh]

[dzeh]

[gheh]

[cheh]

[meh]

[yeh]

[noh]

[shah]

[voh]

[chah]

[peh]

[jeh]

[rreh]

[seh]

[veh]

[teh]

[reh]

[tsoh]

[weh]

[poh]

[koh]

[oh]

[feh]

[zro]

[mek]

[yerku]

[yerek]

[chors]

[hing]

[vets]

[yot]

[ut]

[iny]

[zro]

Zero - զրո (zro) in Armenian

[mek]

One - մեկ (mek) in Armenian

[yerku]

Two - երկու (yerku) in Armenian

[yerek]

Three - երեք (yerek) in Armenian

[chors]

Four - չորս (chors) in Armenian

[hing]

Five - հինգ (hing) in Armenian

[vets]

Six - վեց (vets) in Armenian

[yot]

Seven - յոթ (yot) in Armenian

[ut]

Eight - ութ (ut) in Armenian

[iny]

Nine - ինը (iny) in Armenian

–

(

)

Period - Standard sentence ending punctuation

Comma - Used for pauses and list separation

Armenian full stop - Traditional Armenian sentence ending mark

Armenian emphasis mark - Used for stress and emphasis

Armenian question mark - Traditional Armenian interrogative punctuation

Right-pointing double angle quotation mark - Used for quotations

Hyphen - Used for word breaks and compound words

–

En dash - Used for ranges and compound adjectives

(

Left parenthesis - Opening bracket for additional information

)

Right parenthesis - Closing bracket for additional information

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How many letters are in the Armenian alphabet?

Who created the Armenian alphabet and why?

What makes Armenian letters so special?

Is Armenian related to other languages?

Where is Armenian spoken today?

How can I start learning Armenian letters?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Armenian Unicode Block (U+0530-U+058F)". Retrieved from Unicode Armenian Block
[2] Dum-Tragut, Jasmine. "Armenian: Modern Eastern Armenian". John Benjamins Publishing Company.
[3] Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia. "Population Census 2011". Retrieved from Armenia Statistics
[4] Office of the President of the Republic of Armenia. "Constitution of the Republic of Armenia (2015)". Article 20. Retrieved from Armenian Constitution