The Armenian alphabet

Where it comes from

Mesrop Mashtots created the Armenian alphabet around AD 405. Spelling often helps with pronunciation, but position and unwritten vowels can affect reading. There were originally 36 letters; later additions included օ and ֆ. Here we practise 38 printed shapes, including ւ within ու, and learn the sign և. In modern reformed Eastern Armenian, ու is treated as a letter; our practice shapes differ from the alphabet ordering. Writing goes from left to right.

Which letter forms we learn

Four writing lines

The body of a letter usually sits between the two middle lines. Some strokes reach above, below, or both. Four guide lines help you keep those parts in place.

Five things to notice

• ու — two printed shapes that together spell u: տուն — tun, house.
• ո usually starts a word with vo; ե usually starts with ye: ոչ — vochʰ, no; ես — yes, I.
• և combines ե and վ, pronounced ev inside a word and usually yev at the start: Երևան.
• Stress usually falls on the last syllable: ma-MA, ye-re-VAN. Accents in our reading hints mark stress, not vowel length.
• The full stop looks like a colon — ։. The question mark sits above a vowel in the word: Ո՞վ — who?

How this issue works

Six steps with 4–8 shapes each: explanations, flashcards and writing practice. Choose reading only or reading with writing. Colours show exercise progress: seen → can read (flashcards) → can write (from memory). Practice for the next step unlocks after the exercises in your selected mode. Review mistakes do not close completed steps. You can read all lesson explanations right away.

We learn Eastern Armenian, the variety spoken in Armenia, with reformed spelling. Western Armenian has different sound patterns: for example, բ is pronounced like p there.