Syriac alphabet

The Syriac alphabet (‫ ܐܠܦ ܒܝܬ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ‬ʾālep̄ bêṯ

Sūryāyā[a]) is a writing system primarily used to write the Syriac alphabet
Syriac language since the 1st century AD.[1] It is one of the
Semitic abjads descending from the Aramaic alphabet
through the Palmyrene alphabet,[2] and shares similarities
with the Phoenician, Hebrew, Arabic and Sogdian, the
precursor and a direct ancestor of the traditional Mongolian
Estrangela-styled alphabet
scripts.
Script type Impure abjad
Syriac is written from right to left in horizontal lines. It is a
Time c. 1 AD – present
cursive script where most—but not all—letters connect period
within a word. There is no letter case distinction between
upper and lower case letters, though some letters change Direction Right-to-left script
their form depending on their position within a word. Spaces Languages Aramaic (Classical Syriac, Western Neo-Aramaic, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean
separate individual words. Neo-Aramaic, Turoyo, Christian Palestinian Aramaic), Arabic (Garshuni),
Malayalam (Karshoni), Sogdian
All 22 letters are consonants, although there are optional
diacritic marks to indicate vowels and other features. In Related scripts
addition to the sounds of the language, the letters of the Parent Egyptian
Syriac alphabet can be used to represent numbers in a systems
system similar to Hebrew and Greek numerals. Proto-Sinaitic

Apart from Classical Syriac Aramaic, the alphabet has been Phoenician
used to write other dialects and languages. Several Christian
Neo-Aramaic languages from Turoyo to the Northeastern Aramaic
Neo-Aramaic dialect of Suret, once vernaculars, primarily Syriac alphabet
began to be written in the 19th century. The Serṭā variant
specifically has recently been adapted to write Western Neo- Child
Aramaic, traditionally written in a square Aramaic script, systems Sogdian
from which the Hebrew alphabet was derived. Besides
Old Turkic
Aramaic, when Arabic began to be the dominant spoken
language in the Fertile Crescent after the Islamic conquest, Old Hungarian
texts were often written in Arabic using the Syriac script as
knowledge of the Arabic alphabet was not yet widespread; Old Uyghur
such writings are usually called Karshuni or Garshuni Mongolian
(‫)ܓܪܫܘܢܝ‬. In addition to Semitic languages, Sogdian was
also written with Syriac script, as well as Malayalam, which Manichaean
form was called Suriyani Malayalam. ISO 15924
ISO 15924 Syrc (135), ​Syriac
Alphabet forms Syre, 138 (ʾEsṭrangēlā variant)

There are three major variants of the Syriac alphabet: Syrj, 137 (Western variant)
ʾEsṭrangēlā, Maḏnḥāyā and Serṭā. Syrn, 136 (Eastern variant)

Unicode
Classical ʾEs ṭrangēlā Unicode Syriac
alias
The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is Unicode
U+0700–U+074F (https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0700.pdf) Syriac
ʾEsṭrangēlā[b] (‫ܐܣܛܪܢܓܠܐ‬‎). The name of the script is range
U+0860–U+086F (https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0860.pdf) Syriac Supplement
thought to derive from the Greek adjective strongýlē
[3]
(στρογγύλη, 'rounded'), though it has also been suggested
to derive from serṭā ʾewwangēlāyā (‫ܣܪܛܐ ܐܘܢܓܠܝܐ‬‎, 'gospel character').[4]
Although ʾEsṭrangēlā is no longer used as the main script for writing Syriac, it has
received some revival since the 10th century. It is often used in scholarly publications
(such as the Leiden University version of the Peshitta), in titles, and in inscriptions. In
some older manuscripts and inscriptions, it is possible for any letter to join to the left,
and older Aramaic letter forms (especially of ḥeṯ and the lunate mem) are found.
Vowel marks are usually not used with ʾEsṭrangēlā, being the oldest form of the script
and arising before the development of specialized diacritics.
The opening words of the Gospel of John written in Serṭā, Maḏnḥāyā and
ʾEsṭrangēlā (top to bottom) — brēšiṯ iṯaw[hy]-[h]wā melṯā, 'in the beginning
was the word'.
East Syriac Ma ḏn ḥāyā
The East Syriac dialect is usually written in the Maḏnḥāyā (‫ܵܝ ܐ‬ ‫ܲܡ ݂ܕ ܢܵܚ‬‎, 'Eastern') form of the alphabet. Other names for the
script include Swāḏāyā (‫ܣܵܘ ݂ܵܕ ܵܝ ܐ‬‎, 'conversational' or 'vernacular', often translated as 'contemporary', reflecting its use in
writing modern Neo-Aramaic), ʾĀṯōrāyā (‫ܵܐ ݂ܬ ܿܘ ܵܪ ܵܝ ܐ‬‎, 'Assyrian', not to be confused with the traditional name for the
Hebrew alphabet), Kaldāyā (‫ܲܟ ܠܵܕ ܵܝ ܐ‬‎, 'Chaldean'), and, inaccurately, "Nestorian" (a term that was originally used to refer to
the Church of the East in the Sasanian Empire). The Eastern script resembles ʾEsṭrangēlā somewhat more closely than the
Western script.

Vowels

The Eastern script uses a system of dots above and/or below letters, based on an older system, to indicate vowel sounds not
found in the script:

( ) A dot above and a dot below a letter represent [a], transliterated as a or ă (called ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܦ݂ܵܬ ܵܚ‬‎, pṯāḥā),
( ) Two diagonally-placed dots above a letter represent [ɑ], transliterated as ā or â or å (called ‫݂ܵܦ ܐ‬ ‫ܙܵܩ‬‎,
zqāp̄ ā),
( ) Two horizontally-placed dots below a letter represent [ɛ], transliterated as e or ĕ (called ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܪ݂ܵܒ ܵܨ ܐ ܲܐ ܪܼܝ ݂ܵܟ‬‎,
rḇāṣā ʾărīḵā or ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܙܵܠ ܵܡ ܐ ܦܫܼܝ ܵܩ‬‎, zlāmā pšīqā; often pronounced [ɪ] and transliterated as i in the East Syriac A 9th century ʾEsṭrangēlā
dialect), manuscript of John Chrysostom's
Homily on the Gospel of John.
( ) Two diagonally-placed dots below a letter represent [e], transliterated as ē (called ‫ܐ ܲܟ ܪܵܝ ܐ‬ ‫ܪ݂ܵܒ ܵܨ‬‎,
rḇāṣā karyā or ‫ܫܵܝ ܐ‬ ‫ܙܵܠ ܵܡ ܐ ܲܩ‬‎, zlāmā qašyā),
( ‫ܼܘ‬‎) The letter waw with a dot below it represents [u], transliterated as ū or u (called ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܥܵܨ ܵܨ ܐ ܲܐ ܠܼܝ ܵܨ‬‎, ʿṣāṣā
ʾălīṣā or ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܪ݂ܵܒ ܵܨ‬‎, rḇāṣā),
( ‫)ܿܘ‬‎ The letter waw with a dot above it represents [o], transliterated as ō or o (called ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܥܵܨ ܵܨ ܐ ܪܘܼܝ ܵܚ‬‎, ʿṣāṣā
rwīḥā or ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܪܵܘ ܵܚ‬‎, rwāḥā),
( ‫)ܼܝ‬‎ The letter yōḏ with a dot beneath it represents [i], transliterated as ī or i (called ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܚ݂ܵܒ ܵܨ‬‎, ḥḇāṣā),
( ) A combination of rḇāṣā karyā (usually) followed by a letter yōḏ represents [e] (possibly *[e̝] in Proto-
Syriac), transliterated as ē or ê (called ‫ܐ‬ ‫ܲܐ ܵܣ ܵܩ‬‎, ʾăsāqā).

It is thought that the Eastern method for representing vowels influenced the development of the niqqud markings used for
writing Hebrew.

In addition to the above vowel marks, transliteration of Syriac sometimes includes ə, e̊ or superscript e (or often nothing at
all) to represent an original Aramaic schwa that became lost later on at some point in the development of Syriac. Some A 17th century Maḏnḥāyā liturgical
transliteration schemes find its inclusion necessary for showing spirantization or for historical reasons. Whether because its manuscript from the Vatican Library.
distribution is mostly predictable (usually inside a syllable-initial two-consonant cluster) or because its pronunciation was Note the title written in ʾEsṭrangēlā.
lost, both the East and the West variants of the alphabet traditionally have no sign to represent the schwa.

West Syriac Serṭā

The West Syriac dialect is usually written in the Serṭā or Serṭo (‫ܶܣ ܪܳܛ ܐ‬‎, 'line') form of the alphabet, also known as the Pšīṭā Yəšūʿ or ʾĪšōʿ, the Syriac name of
(‫ܦܺܫ ܝܳܛ ܐ‬‎, 'simple'), 'Maronite' or the 'Jacobite' script (although the term Jacobite is considered derogatory). Most of the Jesus in the ʾEsṭrangēlā script.
letters are clearly derived from ʾEsṭrangēlā, but are simplified, flowing lines. A cursive chancery hand is evidenced in the
earliest Syriac manuscripts, but important works were written in ʾEsṭrangēlā. From the 8th century, the simpler
Serṭā style came into fashion, perhaps because of its more economical use of parchment.

Vowels

The Western script is usually vowel-pointed, with miniature Greek vowel letters above or below the letter
which they follow:

( ‫ܦ݂ܳܬ ܳܚ‬‎, pṯāḥā),

) Capital alpha (Α) represents [a], transliterated as a or ă (‫ܐ‬

( ) Lowercase alpha (α) represents [ɑ], transliterated as ā or â or å (‫ܙܳܩ ݂ܳܦ ܐ‬‎, Zqāp̄ ā;
pronounced as [o] and transliterated as o in the West Syriac dialect),
An 11th century book in the Serṭā script.
( ) Lowercase epsilon (ε) represents both [ɛ], transliterated as e or ĕ, and [e], transliterated
as ē (‫ܳܨ ܐ‬ ‫ܪ݂ܳܒ‬‎, Rḇāṣā),
( ) Capital eta (H) represents [i], transliterated as ī (‫ܳܨ ܐ‬ ‫ܚ݂ܳܒ‬‎, Ḥḇāṣā),
( ) A combined symbol of capital upsilon (Υ) and lowercase omicron (ο) represents [u], transliterated as ū or u (‫ܳܨ ܐ‬ ‫ܥܳܨ‬‎, ʿṣāṣā),
 Lowercase omega (ω), used only in the vocative interjection ʾō ( ‫ܐّܘ‬‎, 'O!').

Summary table
The Syriac alphabet consists of the following letters, shown in their isolated (non-connected) forms. When isolated, the letters
kāp̄ , mīm, and nūn are usually shown with their initial form connected to their final form (see below). The letters ʾālep̄ , dālaṯ, hē,
waw, zayn, ṣāḏē, rēš and taw (and, in early ʾEsṭrangēlā manuscripts, the letter semkaṯ[5]) do not connect to a following letter
within a word; these are marked with an asterisk (*).

An example of Garshuni: a
16th-century Arabic-language
manuscript written in the
Syriac Serṭā script.
 Sound Value
Letter
(Classical Syriac) A
Imperial
Unicode Numerical Phoenician Hebrew
Aramaic
ʾEsṭrangēlā Maḏnḥāyā Serṭā
Value Equivalent
Equivalent
Equivalent Equivalen
Name Translit. Transliteration IPA
(classical) (eastern) (western) (typing)

[ʔ] or ∅
ʾ or null
mater
*‫ܐܠܦ‬ ʾĀlep̄*[c] ‫ܐ‬ mater
lectionis:
1 𐤀‎ 𐡀 ‫א‬
lectionis: ā
[ɑ]

hard: b hard: [b]

‫ܒܝܬ‬ Bēṯ ‫ܒ‬ soft: ḇ (also soft: [v] or 2 𐤁‎ 𐡁 ‫ב‬
bh, v or β) [w]
hard: g
‫ܓܡܠ‬ ‫ܓ‬ soft: ḡ (also hard: [ɡ]
Gāmal 3 𐤂‎ 𐡂 ‫ג‬
g̱, gh, ġ or soft: [ɣ]
γ)

hard: d
‫ܕ‬ hard: [d]
*‫ܕܠܬ‬ Dālaṯ* soft: ḏ (also 4 𐤃‎ 𐡃 ‫ד‬ ‫ذ‬
soft: [ð]
dh, ð or δ)

*‫ܗܐ‬ Hē* ‫ܗ‬ h [h] 5 𐤄‎ 𐡄 ‫ה‬

consonant:
consonant:
w
[w]
‫ܘ‬ mater
*‫ܘܘ‬ Waw* mater 6 𐤅‎ 𐡅 ‫ו‬
lectionis: ū
lectionis:
or ō
[u] or [o]
(also u or o)

*‫ܙܝܢ‬ Zayn* ‫ܙ‬ z [z] 7 𐤆‎ 𐡆 ‫ז‬

‫ܚܝܬ‬ ‫ܚ‬ ḥ (also H, [ħ], [x] or

Ḥēṯ 8 𐤇‎ 𐡇 ‫ח‬
kh, x or ħ) [χ]

‫ܛܝܬ‬ ‫ܛ‬ ṭ (also T or

Ṭēṯ [tˤ] 9 𐤈‎ 𐡈 ‫ט‬
ţ)

consonant: consonant:
y [j]
‫ܝܘܕ‬ Yōḏ ‫ܝ‬ mater mater 10 𐤉‎ 𐡉 ‫י‬
lectionis: ī lectionis:
(also i) [i] or [e]

hard: k
‫ܟܦ‬ ‫ܟ‬ hard: [k]
Kāp̄ soft: ḵ (also 20 𐤊‎ 𐡊 ‫כך‬
soft: [x]
kh or x)

‫ܠܡܕ‬ Lāmaḏ ‫ܠ‬ l [l] 30 𐤋‎ 𐡋 ‫ל‬

‫ܡܝܡ‬ Mīm ‫ܡ‬ m [m] 40 𐤌‎ 𐡌 ‫מם‬

‫ܢܘܢ‬ Nūn ‫ܢ‬ n [n] 50 𐤍‎ 𐡍 ‫נן‬

‫ܣܡܟܬ‬ Semkaṯ ‫ܣ‬ s [s] 60 𐤎‎ 𐡎 ‫ס‬

‫ܥܐ‬ ʿĒ ‫ܥ‬ ʿ [ʕ][d] 70 𐤏‎ 𐡏 ‫ע‬

hard: p
‫ܦܐ‬ ‫ܦ‬ soft: p̄ (also hard: [p]
Pē 80 𐤐‎ 𐡐 ‫פף‬
p̱, ᵽ, ph or soft: [f]
f)

‫ܨ‬ ṣ (also S or
*‫ܨܕܐ‬ Ṣāḏē* [sˤ] 90 𐤑‎ 𐡑 ‫צץ‬
ş)

‫ܩܘܦ‬ Qōp̄ ‫ܩ‬ q (also ḳ) [q] 100 𐤒‎ 𐡒 ‫ק‬

*‫ܪܝܫ‬ Rēš* ‫ܪ‬ r [r] 200 𐤓‎ 𐡓 ‫ר‬

‫ܫܝܢ‬ Šīn ‫ܫ‬ š (also sh) [ʃ] 300 𐤔‎ 𐡔 ‫ש‬ ‫ش‬

hard: t
‫ܬ‬ hard: [t]
*‫ܬܘ‬ Taw* soft: ṯ (also 400 𐤕‎ 𐡕 ‫ת‬ ‫ث‬
soft: [θ]
th or θ)

Contextual forms of letters

ʾEsṭrangēlā (classical) Maḏnḥāyā (eastern)

Letter Initial or
Unconnected Connected Unconnected Connected
name unconnected
final final final final
medial
 [e]
ʾĀlep̄

Bēṯ

Gāmal

Dālaṯ

Hē

Waw

Zayn

Ḥēṯ

Ṭēṯ

Yōḏ

Kāp̄

Lāmaḏ

Mīm

Nūn

Semkaṯ /

ʿĒ

Pē

Ṣāḏē

Qōp̄

Rēš

Šīn

Taw

Ligatures

ʾEsṭrangēlā (classical) Maḏnḥāyā (eastern)

Letter Initial or
Unconnected Connected Unconnected Connected
name unconnected
final final final final
medial

Lāmaḏ-ʾĀlep̄

Taw-ʾĀlep̄ /

Hē-Yōḏ

Taw-Yōḏ

Letter alterations

Matres lectionis
Three letters act as matres lectionis: rather than being a consonant, they indicate a vowel. ʾālep̄ (‫)ܐ‬, the first letter, represents a glottal
stop, but it can also indicate a vowel, especially at the beginning or the end of a word. The letter waw (‫ )ܘ‬is the consonant w, but can
also represent the vowels o and u. Likewise, the letter yōḏ (‫ )ܝ‬represents the consonant y, but it also stands for the vowels i and e.

Majlīyānā

In modern usage, some alterations can be made to represent phonemes not represented in classical phonology. A mark similar in The name of the monk
appearance to a tilde (~), called majlīyānā (‫ܲܡ ̰ܓ ܠܼܵܝ ܵܢ ܐ‬‎), is placed above or below a letter in the Maḏnḥāyā variant of the alphabet to "Adam" in Syriac in the
change its phonetic value (see also: Geresh): 781 CE Xi'an Nestorian
Stele, China.
Added below gāmal: [ɡ] to [d͡ʒ] (voiced palato-alveolar affricate)
Added below kāp̄ : [k] to [t͡ʃ] (voiceless palato-alveolar affricate)
Added above or below zayn: [z] to [ʒ] (voiced palato-alveolar sibilant)
Added above šīn: [ʃ] to [ʒ]

Rūkkā ḵā and qūššāyā

In addition to foreign sounds, a marking system is used to distinguish qūššāyā (‫ܩܘܫܝܐ‬, 'hard' letters) from rūkkāḵā (‫ܪܘܟܟܐ‬, 'soft' letters). The letters bēṯ,
gāmal, dālaṯ, kāp̄ , pē, and taw, all stop consonants ('hard') are able to be 'spirantized' (lenited) into fricative consonants ('soft'). The system involves placing a
single dot underneath the letter to give its 'soft' variant and a dot above the letter to give its 'hard' variant (though, in modern usage, no mark at all is usually used to
indicate the 'hard' value):

Name Stop Translit. IPA Name Fricative Translit. IPA Notes

[v]
Bēṯ (qšīṯā) ‫݁ܒ‬ b [b] Bēṯ rakkīḵtā ‫݂ܒ‬‎ ḇ or
[w]
[v] has become [w] in most modern dialects.

Gāmal (qšīṯā)
‫݁ܓ‬ g [ɡ] Gāmal rakkīḵtā
‫݂ܓ‬‎ ḡ [ɣ] Usually becomes [j], [ʔ], or is not pronounced in modern Eastern dialects.

Dālaṯ (qšīṯā) ‫݁ܕ‬ d [d] Dālaṯ rakkīḵtā

‫݂ܕ‬‎ ḏ [ð] [d] is left unspirantized in some modern Eastern dialects.

Kāp̄ (qšīṯā)
‫݁ܟ‬ k [k] Kāp̄ rakkīḵtā
‫݂ܟ‬‎ ḵ [x]

Pē (qšīṯā) ‫݁ܦ‬‎ p [p] Pē rakkīḵtā

‫݂ܦ‬‎or p̄
[f] or
[f] is not found in most modern Eastern dialects. Instead, it either is left
unspirantized or sometimes appears as [w]. Pē is the only letter in the Eastern
[w] variant of the alphabet that is spirantized by the addition of a semicircle
‫̮ܦ‬‎ instead of a single dot.

Taw (qšīṯā) ‫݁ܬ‬ t [t] Taw rakkīḵtā

‫݂ܬ‬‎ ṯ [θ] [t] is left unspirantized in some modern Eastern dialects.

The mnemonic bḡaḏkp̄ āṯ (‫ )ܒܓܕܟܦܬ‬is often used to remember the six letters that are able to be spirantized (see also: Begadkepat).

In the East Syriac variant of the alphabet, spirantization marks are usually omitted when they interfere with vowel marks. The degree to which letters can be
spirantized varies from dialect to dialect as some dialects have lost the ability for certain letters to be spirantized. For native words, spirantization depends on the
letter's position within a word or syllable, location relative to other consonants and vowels, gemination, etymology, and other factors. Foreign words do not always
follow the rules for spirantization.

Syāmē

Syriac uses two (usually) horizontal dots[f] above a letter within a word, similar in appearance to diaeresis, called syāmē (‫ܣ̈ܝ ܡܐ‬, literally 'placings', also known in
some grammars by the Hebrew name ribbūi [‫]ִרּבּוי‬, 'plural'), to indicate that the word is plural.[6] These dots, having no sound value in themselves, arose before
both eastern and western vowel systems as it became necessary to mark plural forms of words, which are indistinguishable from their singular counterparts in
regularly-inflected nouns. For instance, the word malkā (‫ܡܠܟܐ‬, 'king') is consonantally identical to its plural malkē (‫ܡܠ̈ܟ ܐ‬, 'kings'); the syāmē above the word
malkē (‫ )ܡܠ̈ܟ ܐ‬clarifies its grammatical number and pronunciation. Irregular plurals also receive syāmē even though their forms are clearly plural: e.g. baytā
(‫ܒܝܬܐ‬, 'house') and its irregular plural bāttē (‫̈ܒ ܬܐ‬, 'houses'). Because of redundancy, some modern usage forgoes syāmē points when vowel markings are
present.

There are no firm rules for which letter receives syāmē; the writer has full discretion to place them over any letter. Typically, if a word has at least one rēš, then
syāmē are placed over the rēš that is nearest the end of a word (and also replace the single dot above it: ‫)̈ܪ‬. Other letters that often receive syāmē are low-rising
letters—such as yōḏ and nūn—or letters that appear near the middle or end of a word.

Besides plural nouns, syāmē are also placed on:

plural adjectives, including participles (except masculine plural adjectives/participles in the absolute state);
the cardinal numbers 'two' and the feminine forms of 11–19, though inconsistently;
and certain feminine plural verbs: the 3rd person feminine plural perfect and the 2nd and 3rd person feminine plural imperfect.

Mṭalqānā
Syriac uses a line, called mṭalqānā (‫ܡܛܠܩܢܐ‬, literally 'concealer', also known by the Latin term linea occultans in some grammars), to indicate a silent letter that
can occur at the beginning or middle of a word.[7] In Eastern Syriac, this line is diagonal and only occurs above the silent letter (e.g. ‫ܡ݂ܕ ܼܝ ݇ܢ ܵܬ ܐ‬‎, 'city', pronounced
mḏīttā, not *mḏīntā, with the mṭalqānā over the nūn, assimilating with the taw). The line can only occur above a letter ʾālep̄ , hē, waw, yōḏ, lāmaḏ, mīm, nūn, ʿē
or rēš (which comprise the mnemonic ‫ ܥ̈ܡ ܠܝ ܢܘܗܪܐ‬ʿamlay nūhrā, 'the works of light'). In Western Syriac, this line is horizontal and can be placed above or
below the letter (e.g. ‫ܡ ݂ܺܕ ܝ̄ܢ ܳܬ ܐ‬‎, 'city', pronounced mḏīto, not *mḏīnto).

Classically, mṭalqānā was not used for silent letters that occurred at the end of a word (e.g. ‫ ܡܪܝ‬mār[ī], '[my] lord'). In modern Turoyo, however, this is not always
the case (e.g. ‫ܳܡ ܪ̱ܝ‬‎mor[ī], '[my] lord').

Latin alphabet and romanization

In the 1930s, following the state policy for minority languages of the Soviet Union, a Latin alphabet for Syriac was developed with some material promulgated.[8]
Although it did not supplant the Syriac script, the usage of the Latin script in the Syriac community has still become widespread because most of the Assyrian
diaspora is in Europe and the Anglosphere, where the Latin alphabet is predominant.

In Syriac romanization, some letters are altered and would feature diacritics and macrons to indicate long vowels, schwas and diphthongs. The letters with
diacritics and macrons are mostly upheld in educational or formal writing.[9]

Soviet Latin alphabet[10][11]

A B C Ç D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S Ş T Ţ U V X Z Ƶ Ь

The Latin letters below are commonly used when it comes to transliteration from the Syriac script to Latin:[12]

Transliterated Syriac-Latin alphabet[13]

A Ā B C D Ḏ E Ē Ë F G H Ḥ I J K L M N O Ō P Q R S Š Ṣ T Ṭ U Ū V W X Y Z

Ā is used to denote a long "a" sound or [ɑː] as heard in "car".

Ḏ is used to represent a voiced dental fricative [ð], the "th" sound as heard in "that".
Ē is used to denote a long close-mid unrounded vowel, [eː].
Ĕ is to represent an "eh" sound or [ɛ], as heard in Ninwĕ
Ḥ represents a voiceless pharyngeal fricative ([ħ]), only upheld by Turoyo and Chaldean speakers.
Ō represents a long "o" sound or [ɔː].
Š is a voiceless postalveolar fricative ([ʃ]), the English digraph "sh".
Ṣ denotes an emphatic "s" or "thick s", [sˤ].
Ṭ is an emphatic "t", [tˤ], as heard in the word ṭla ("three").
Ū is used to represent an "oo" sound or the close back rounded vowel [uː].

Sometimes additional letters may be used and they tend to be:

Ḇ may be used in the transliteration of biblical Aramaic to show the voiced bilabial fricative allophone value ("v") of the letter Bēṯ.
Ī denotes a schwa sound, usually when transliterating biblical Aramaic.
Ḵ is utilized for the voiceless velar fricative, [x], or the "kh" sound.
Ṯ is used to denote the "th" sound or the voiceless dental fricative, [θ].

Unicode
The Syriac alphabet was added to the Unicode Standard in September, 1999 with the release of version 3.0. Additional letters for Suriyani Malayalam were added
in June, 2017 with the release of version 10.0.

Blocks

The Unicode block for Syriac is U+0700–U+074F:

Syriac[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0700.pdf) (PDF)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F

U+070x ‫܀‬ ‫܁‬ ‫܂‬ ‫܃‬ ‫܄‬ ‫܅‬ ‫܆‬ ‫܇‬ ‫܈‬ ‫܉‬ ‫܊‬ ‫܋‬ ‫܌‬ ‫܍‬ SAM

U+071x ‫ܐ‬ ܑ ‫ܒ‬ ‫ܓ‬ ‫ܔ‬ ‫ܕ‬ ‫ܖ‬ ‫ܗ‬ ‫ܘ‬ ‫ܙ‬ ‫ܚ‬ ‫ܛ‬ ‫ܜ‬ ‫ܝ‬ ‫ܞ‬ ‫ܟ‬

U+072x ‫ܠ‬ ‫ܡ‬ ‫ܢ‬ ‫ܣ‬ ‫ܤ‬ ‫ܥ‬ ‫ܦ‬ ‫ܧ‬ ‫ܨ‬ ‫ܩ‬ ‫ܪ‬ ‫ܫ‬ ‫ܬ‬ ‫ܭ‬ ‫ܮ‬ ‫ܯ‬

U+073x ܰ ܱ ܲ ܳ ܴ ܵ ܶ ܷ ܸ ܹ ܺ ܻ ܼ ܽ ܾ ܿ

U+074x ݀ ݁ ݂ ݃ ݄ ݅ ݆ ݇ ݈ ݉ ݊ ‫ݍ‬ ‫ݎ‬ ‫ݏ‬

Notes

1.^ As of Unicode version 15.1

2.^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points
The Syriac Abbreviation (a type of overline) can be represented with a special control character called the Syriac Abbreviation Mark (U+070F).

The Unicode block for Suriyani Malayalam specific letters is called the Syriac Supplement block and is U+0860–U+086F:

Syriac Supplement[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0860.pdf) (PDF)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F

U+086x ࡠ ࡡ ࡢ ࡣ ࡤ ࡥ ࡦ ࡧ ࡨ ࡩ ࡪ
Notes

1.^ As of Unicode version 15.1

2.^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

HTML code table

Note: HTML numeric character references can be in decimal format (&#DDDD;) or hexadecimal format (&#xHHHH;). For example, ܕ and ܕ
(1813 in decimal) both represent U+0715 SYRIAC LETTER DALATH.

Ālep̄ bēṯ

‫ܕ‬ ‫ܓ‬ ‫ܒ‬ ‫ܐ‬

ܕ ܓ ܒ ܐ

‫ܚ‬ ‫ܙ‬ ‫ܘ‬ ‫ܗ‬

ܚ ܙ ܘ ܗ

‫ܠ‬ ‫ܟܟ‬ ‫ܝ‬ ‫ܛ‬

ܠ ܟ ܝ ܛ

‫ܥ‬ ‫ܣ‬ ‫ܢܢ‬ ‫ܡܡ‬

ܥ ܤ ܢ ܡ

‫ܪ‬ ‫ܩ‬ ‫ܨ‬ ‫ܦ‬

ܪ ܩ ܨ ܦ

‫ܬ‬ ‫ܫ‬
ܬ ܫ

Vowels and unique characters

ܲ ܵ
ܲ ܵ

ܸ ܹ
ܸ ܹ

ܼ ܿ
ܼ ܿ

̈ ̰
̈ ̰

݁ ݂
݁ ݂

‫܀‬ ‫܂‬
܀ ܂

‫܄‬ ݇
܄ ݇

See also
Abjad
Alphabet
Aramaic alphabet
Mandaic alphabet
 Mongolian script
Sogdian alphabet
Syriac language
Syriac Malayalam
Old Uyghur alphabet
History of the alphabet
List of writing systems

Notes
a. Also ‫ ܐܒܓܕ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ‬ʾabgad Sūryāyā.
b. Also pronounced/transliterated Estrangelo in Western Syriac.
c. Also pronounced ʾĀlap̄ or ʾOlaf (‫ܳܐ ܰܠܦ‬‎) in Western Syriac.
d. Among most Assyrian Neo-Aramaic speakers, the pharyngeal sound of ʿĒ (/ʕ/) is not pronounced as such; rather, it typically merges into the
plain sound of ʾĀlep̄ ([ʔ] or ∅) or geminates a previous consonant.
e. In the final position following Dālaṯ or Rēš, ʾĀlep̄ takes the normal form rather than the final form in the Maḏnḥāyā variant of the alphabet.
f. In some Serṭā usages, the syāmē dots are placed diagonally when they appear above the letter Lāmaḏ.

References
1. "Syriac alphabet" (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/5789 7. Nöldeke, Theodor and Julius Euting (1880). Kurzgefasste syrische
72/Syriac-alphabet). Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved Grammatik. Leipzig: T.O. Weigel. [translated to English as
June 16, 2012. Compendious Syriac Grammar, by James A. Crichton. London:
2. P. R. Ackroyd,C. F. Evans (1975). The Cambridge History of the Williams & Norgate 1904. 2003 edition. pp. 11–12. ISBN 1-57506-
Bible: Volume 1, From the Beginnings to Jerome (https://books.goo 050-7]
gle.com/books?id=QnG2067meU0C&pg=PA26). p. 26. 8. Moscati, Sabatino, et al. The Comparative Grammar of Semitic
ISBN 9780521099738. Languages. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, Germany, 1980.
3. Hatch, William (1946). An Album of Dated Syriac Manuscripts. 9. S. P. Brock, "Three Thousand Years of Aramaic literature", in
Boston: The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, reprinted in Aram,1:1 (1989)
2002 by Gorgias Press. p. 24. ISBN 1-931956-53-7. 10. Friedrich, Johannes (1959). "Neusyrisches in Lateinschrift aus der
4. Nestle, Eberhard (1888). Syrische Grammatik mit Litteratur, Sowjetunion" (http://menadoc.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/dmg/periodica
Chrestomathie und Glossar. Berlin: H. Reuther's l/titleinfo/94045). Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen
Verlagsbuchhandlung. [translated to English as Syriac grammar Gesellschaft (in German) (109): 50–81.
with bibliography, chrestomathy and glossary, by R. S. Kennedy. 11. Polotsky, Hans Jakob (1961). "Studies in Modern Syriac". Journal
London: Williams & Norgate 1889. p. 5]. of Semitic Studies. 6 (1): 1–32. doi:10.1093/jss/6.1.1 (https://doi.org/
5. Coakley, J. F. (2002). Robinson's Paradigms and Exercises in 10.1093%2Fjss%2F6.1.1).
Syriac Grammar (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 141. 12. Syriac Romanization Table (https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romaniz
ISBN 978-0-19-926129-1. ation/syriac.pdf)
6. Nöldeke, Theodor and Julius Euting (1880). Kurzgefasste syrische 13. Nicholas Awde; Nineb Lamassu; Nicholas Al-Jeloo (2007). Aramaic
Grammatik. Leipzig: T.O. Weigel. [translated to English as (Assyrian/Syriac) Dictionary & Phrasebook: Swadaya-English,
Compendious Syriac Grammar, by James A. Crichton. London: Turoyo-English, English-Swadaya-Turoyo (https://books.google.co
Williams & Norgate 1904. 2003 edition. pp. 10–11. ISBN 1-57506- m/books?id=5R1y1nvcWccC). Hippocrene Books. ISBN 978-0-
050-7] 7818-1087-6.

Sources
Coakley, J. F. (2002). Robinson's Paradigms and Exercises in Syriac Grammar (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-926129-1.
Hatch, William (1946). An Album of Dated Syriac Manuscripts. Boston: The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, reprinted in 2002 by
Gorgias Press. ISBN 1-931956-53-7.
Kiraz, George (2015). The Syriac Dot: a Short History. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-4632-0425-9.
Michaelis, Ioannis Davidis (1784). Grammatica Syriaca.
Nestle, Eberhard (1888). Syrische Grammatik mit Litteratur, Chrestomathie und Glossar. Berlin: H. Reuther's Verlagsbuchhandlung.
[translated to English as Syriac grammar with bibliography, chrestomathy and glossary, by R. S. Kennedy. London: Williams & Norgate 1889].
Nöldeke, Theodor and Julius Euting (1880). Kurzgefasste syrische Grammatik. Leipzig: T.O. Weigel. [translated to English as Compendious
Syriac Grammar, by James A. Crichton. London: Williams & Norgate 1904. 2003 edition: ISBN 1-57506-050-7].
Phillips, George (1866). A Syriac Grammar. Cambridge: Deighton, Bell, & Co.; London: Bell & Daldy.
Robinson, Theodore Henry (1915). Paradigms and Exercises in Syriac Grammar. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-926129-6.
Rudder, Joshua. Learn to Write Aramaic: A Step-by-Step Approach to the Historical & Modern Scripts. n.p.: CreateSpace Independent
Publishing Platform, 2011. 220 pp. ISBN 978-1461021421 Includes the Estrangela (pp. 59–113), Madnhaya (pp. 191–206), and the Western
Serto (pp. 173–190) scripts.
Segal, J. B. (1953). The Diacritical Point and the Accents in Syriac. Oxford University Press, reprinted in 2003 by Gorgias Press. ISBN 1-
59333-032-4.
Thackston, Wheeler M. (1999). Introduction to Syriac. Bethesda, MD: Ibex Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-936347-98-8.

External links
The Syriac alphabet (http://www.omniglot.com/writing/syriac.htm) at Omniglot.com (http://www.omniglot.com/)
The Syriac alphabet (https://web.archive.org/web/20120812195043/http://www.ancientscripts.com/syriac.html) at Ancientscripts.com (http://an
cientscripts.com/index.html)
Unicode Entity Codes for the Syriac Script (https://web.archive.org/web/20060617231514/http://tlt.psu.edu/suggestions/international/bylangua
ge/syriacchart.html)
Meltho Fonts for Syriac (https://bethmardutho.org/meltho/)
 How to write Aramaic – learn the Syriac cursive scripts (http://www.nativlang.com/aramaic-language/aramaic-writing-cursive.php)
Aramaic and Syriac handwriting (http://www.syriac.talktalk.net/syriac_writing.html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20180723101649/htt
p://www.syriac.talktalk.net/syriac_writing.html) 2018-07-23 at the Wayback Machine ʾEsṭrangēlā (classical)
Learn Assyrian (Syriac-Aramaic) OnLine (http://www.learnassyrian.com/aramaic/) Maḏnḥāyā (eastern)
GNU FreeFont (https://www.gnu.org/software/freefont/) Unicode font family with Syriac range in its sans-serif face.
Learn Syriac Latin Alphabet (https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Assyrian/Latin_Alphabet) on Wikiversity

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