The Armenian alphabet (Armenian: Հայոց գրեր Hayots grer or Հայոց այբուբեն Hayots aybuben) is a graphically unique alphabetical writing system that has been used to write the Armenian language. It was introduced by Mesrop Mashtots around 405 AD, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and originally contained 36 letters. Two more letters, օ (o) and ֆ (f), were added in the Middle Ages. During the1920s orthography reform, a new letter և (capital ԵՎ) was added, which was a ligature before ե+ւ, while the letter Ւ ւ was discarded and reintroduced as part of a new letter ՈՒ ու (which was a digraph before).
The Armenian word for “alphabet” is այբուբեն aybuben (Armenian pronunciation: [ɑjbubɛn]), named after the first two letters of the Armenian alphabet Ա այբ ayb and Բ բեն ben. The Armenian script’s directionality is horizontal left-to-right, like the Latin and Greek alphabets.
Upper Case |
Lower Case |
Sound | Letter Name |
Upper Case |
Lower Case |
Sound | Letter Name |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ա | ա | a | այբ | Ճ | ճ | ch | ճե | |
Բ | բ | b | բեն | Մ | մ | m | մեն | |
Գ | գ | g | գիմ | Յ | յ | y | հի | |
Դ | դ | d | դա | Ն | ն | n | նու | |
Ե | ե | e, ye | եչ | Շ | շ | sh | շա | |
Զ | զ | z | զա | Ո | ո | o, vo | վո | |
Է | է | e | է | Չ | չ | ch’ | չա | |
Ը | ը | ə | ըթ | Պ | պ | p | պե | |
Թ | թ | t’ | թո | Ջ | ջ | j | ջե | |
Ժ | ժ | jh | ժե | Ռ | ռ | rr | ռա | |
Ի | ի | i | ինի | Ս | ս | s | սե | |
Լ | լ | l | լյուն | Վ | վ | v | վեվ | |
Խ | խ | kh | խե | Տ | տ | t | տյուն | |
Ծ | ծ | ts | ծա | Ր | ր | r | րե | |
Կ | կ | k | կեն | Ց | ց | ts’ | ցո | |
Հ | հ | h | հո | Ւ | ւ | u | ու | |
Ձ | ձ | dz | ձա | Փ | փ | p’ | փյուր | |
Ղ | ղ | gh | ղատ | Ք | ք | k’ | քե | |
և | ևվ | yev, ev | ||||||
Օ | օ | o | օ | |||||
Ֆ | ֆ | f | ֆե |