Latvian Alphabet at a Glance
- 33 letters total: 6 vowels and 27 consonants [1]
- Based on Latin script, standardized in early 20th century [1]
- Macrons (Ā, Ē, Ī, Ō, Ū) mark long vowels - crucial for meaning [2]
- Distinctive diacritics: č, ģ, ķ, ļ, ņ, š, ž (caron and cedilla) [2]
- Official language of Latvia, spoken by ~1.9 million people [3]
- Letters Q, W, X, Y not used in native Latvian words [1]
Latvian Vowel Letters
The Latvian alphabet includes 6 vowels with 5 basic vowels and their long counterparts marked with macrons (Ā, Ē, Ī, Ō, Ū) [1] that indicate vowel length.
Latvian Vowels (Uppercase)
Latvian Vowels (Lowercase)
Latvian Consonant Letters
The Latvian alphabet contains 27 consonants [1], including letters with distinctive diacritical marks that create unique Latvian sounds.
For example:
In the word "māja" (house), the vowels Ā and A combine with the consonants M and J to form a complete Latvian word with proper vowel length marking.
Latvian Consonants (Uppercase)
Latvian Consonants (Lowercase)
Complete Latvian Alphabet
Letters with Macron (Garumzīme)
The macron (¯) lengthens vowel sounds and is crucial for meaning distinction in Latvian [2].
Letters with Macron (Garumzīme)
Letters with Caron (Mīkstinājuma zīme)
The caron (ˇ) modifies consonant pronunciation in Latvian [2].
Letters with Caron (Mīkstinājuma zīme)
Letters with Comma Below (Apakškomata)
The comma below (cedilla-like mark) creates palatalized consonants in Latvian [2].
Letters with Comma Below (Komatiņa)
Unused Latin Letters in Latvian
Q, W, X, Y are not used in native Latvian words [1] but may appear in foreign borrowings.
Letters Not Used in Standard Latvian
Common Consonant Clusters
Latvian features complex consonant combinations that are characteristic of Baltic languages, creating distinctive pronunciation patterns.
Common Consonant Clusters
Latvian-Specific Letters (Lowercase)
Letters with diacritics used in Latvian, including macrons, carons, and cedilla-like marks.
Latvian-Specific Letters (Lowercase)
Latvian-Specific Letters (Uppercase)
Uppercase forms of Latvian letters with diacritics.
Latvian-Specific Letters (Uppercase)
Latvian Alphabet (Lowercase)
Complete 33-letter Latvian alphabet [1] in lowercase, including all diacritical letters used in modern Latvian.
Latvian Alphabet (Lowercase)
Latvian Alphabet (Uppercase)
Complete 33-letter Latvian alphabet [1] in uppercase, used for proper names and sentence beginnings.
Latvian Alphabet (Uppercase)
All Latvian Diacritical Letters
Complete collection of all 11 Latvian letters with diacritical marks [2].
All Latvian Diacritical Letters
Palatalized Consonants
Latvian consonants with palatalization, marked with comma below (cedilla-like diacritic).
Palatalized Consonants
Long Vowels (Garie patskaņi)
Latvian vowels with macrons indicating lengthened pronunciation, essential for meaning distinction.
Long Vowels (Garie patskaņi)
Complete Latvian Alphabet Pronunciation Guide
Comprehensive pronunciation guide for all Latvian letters including basic letters, diacritical letters, and special characters.
Complete Latvian Alphabet Pronunciation Guide
Latvian Numbers
Special Characters
Common special characters and symbols used in Latvian text.
Special Characters:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
References:
- [1] Latvian Language Agency. "Latvian Language Orthography". Retrieved from Latvian Language Agency
- [2] Unicode Consortium. "Latin Extended-B Block". Retrieved from Unicode Latin Extended-B
- [3] Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. "Latvia in Figures". Retrieved from Latvia Statistics
Sambhu Raj Singh ·