Coptic Alphabet

Tap a Coptic letter to copy it: under each is its name and the Latin letter it is written as.

Coptic Alphabet

ⲀAlfa, aU+2C80Ready to copy

79 letters. Tap one to copy it.

Capital letters 32

Small letters 32

Other letters 4

Signs and stops 11

Next step Greek letters, alpha to omegaNext script: Ethiopian letters

How it works

The Coptic alphabet to copy, letter by letter: the 32 capital letters in order, then the small letters, each with its name and its Latin letter. Ⲁ is alfa, a; Ⲃ is vida, b; Ϣ is shei, š.

Read the full guide

Greek letters and seven more

The shapes are based on the uncial Greek alphabet. Seven letters were added from Egyptian Demotic for sounds the Greek alphabet did not cover: Ϣ, Ϥ, Ϧ, Ϩ, Ϫ, Ϭ and Ϯ. It was the first alphabetic script used for the Egyptian language. Capital and small letters are a modern convention.

Letters as numbers

Letters also stand for numbers, with values based on Greek numerals: Ⲁ is 1, Ⲓ is 10, Ⲣ is 100 and Ⲫ is 500. Ⲋ sou has no sound of its own: it is the number 6. A line over the letters sometimes marks them as a number.

  • Ϯ dei stands for a whole syllable, ti or di.
  • Ⳉ, under Other letters, was used only in the Akhmimic dialect, and no name is recorded for it.
  • A device with no Coptic font shows empty boxes in place of the letters.

Questions and answers

How many letters are in the Coptic alphabet?

24 letters of Greek origin and 6 or 7 kept from Demotic, depending on the dialect: 6 in Sahidic, one more each in Bohairic and Akhmimic. The 32 here are the 24, sou for the number 6, and seven from Demotic.

Is the Coptic alphabet still used?

Coptic is not generally used today, except by members of the Coptic Orthodox Church to write their religious texts. The dialect most often written today, as a liturgical language, is Bohairic.

What is the difference between Coptic and Greek letters?

Coptic is never written with the modern Greek letter shapes, and its small letters are usually small versions of the capitals. Unicode separated the two alphabets in version 4.1, in 2005.

Where are the Coptic letters in Unicode?

The Coptic block runs from U+2C80 to U+2CFF. The seven letters from Demotic are older code points in the Greek and Coptic block, U+03E2 to U+03EF, so a full Coptic alphabet draws on both.

All 79 letters

Capital letters 32

  • Alfa, a U+2C80 Coptic capital letter alfa. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 1 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 1. Greek match Α, α. Latin transliteration A, a. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /a/.
  • Dalda, d U+2C86 Coptic capital letter dalda. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 4 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 4. Greek match Δ, δ. Latin transliteration D, d. Sound in Sahidic /t/ (marked Greek words).
  • Dei, ti U+03EE Coptic capital letter dei. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 32 of 32. Greek match Τι, τι. Latin transliteration Ti, ti. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ti/.
  • Eie, e U+2C88 Coptic capital letter eie. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 5 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 5. Greek match Ε, ε. Latin transliteration E, e. Sound in Sahidic /ɛ/, /ə/ (ⲉⲓ = /i/, /j/), in Bohairic /ɛ/, /ə/ (ⲓⲉ = /e/).
  • Fei, f U+03E4 Coptic capital letter fei. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 27 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 90. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration F, f. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /f/.
Show all 79 letters (74 more)

Capital letters, continued

  • Fi, ph U+2CAA Coptic capital letter fi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 22 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 500. Greek match Φ, φ. Latin transliteration Ph, ph. Sound in Sahidic /ph/, in Bohairic /pʰ/.
  • Gamma, g U+2C84 Coptic capital letter gamma. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 3 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 3. Greek match Γ, γ. Latin transliteration G, g. Sound in Sahidic /k/ (marked Greek words).
  • Gangia, j U+03EA Coptic capital letter gangia. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 30 of 32. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration J, j. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /t͡ʃ/.
  • Hate, ē U+2C8E Coptic capital letter hate. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 8 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 8. Greek match Η, η. Latin transliteration Ē, ē. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /e/.
  • Hori, h U+03E8 Coptic capital letter hori. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 29 of 32. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration H, h. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /h/.
  • Iauda, i U+2C92 Coptic capital letter iauda. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 10 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 10. Greek match Ι, ι. Latin transliteration I, i. Sound in Sahidic /iː/, /j/, in Bohairic /i/, /j/, /ə/ (ⲓⲉ = /e/).
  • Kapa, k U+2C94 Coptic capital letter kapa. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 11 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 20. Greek match Κ, κ. Latin transliteration K, k. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /k/.
  • Khei, x U+03E6 Coptic capital letter khei. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 28 of 32. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration X, x / H̱, ẖ. Sound in Bohairic /x/.
  • Khi, kh U+2CAC Coptic capital letter khi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 23 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 600. Greek match Χ, χ. Latin transliteration Kh, kh. Sound in Sahidic /kh/, in Bohairic /kʰ/.
  • Ksi, ks U+2C9C Coptic capital letter ksi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 15 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 60. Greek match Ξ, ξ. Latin transliteration Ks, ks. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ks/ (only in Greek loanwords).
  • Laula, l U+2C96 Coptic capital letter laula. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 12 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 30. Greek match Λ, λ. Latin transliteration L, l. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /l/.
  • Mi, m U+2C98 Coptic capital letter mi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 13 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 40. Greek match Μ, μ. Latin transliteration M, m. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /m/.
  • Ni, n U+2C9A Coptic capital letter ni. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 14 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 50. Greek match Ν, ν. Latin transliteration N, n. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /n/.
  • O, o U+2C9E Coptic capital letter o. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 16 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 70. Greek match Ο, ο. Latin transliteration O, o. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ɔ/ (ⲟⲩ = /u/, /w/).
  • Oou, ō U+2CB0 Coptic capital letter oou. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 25 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 800. Greek match Ω, ω. Latin transliteration Ō, ō. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /o/.
  • Pi, p U+2CA0 Coptic capital letter pi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 17 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 80. Greek match Π, π. Latin transliteration P, p. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /p/.
  • Psi, ps U+2CAE Coptic capital letter psi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 24 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 700. Greek match Ψ, ψ. Latin transliteration Ps, ps.
  • Ro, r U+2CA2 Coptic capital letter ro. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 18 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 100. Greek match Ρ, ρ. Latin transliteration R, r. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ɾ/~/r/.
  • Shei, š U+03E2 Coptic capital letter shei. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 26 of 32. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration Š, š / Sh, sh. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ʃ/.
  • Shima, c U+03EC Coptic capital letter shima. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 31 of 32. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration C, c / Č, č. Sound in Sahidic /kʲ/, in Bohairic /t͡ʃʰ/.
  • Sima, s U+2CA4 Coptic capital letter sima. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 19 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 200. Greek match Σ, σ, ς. Latin transliteration S, s. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /s/.
  • Sou, 6 U+2C8A Coptic capital letter sou. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 6 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 6. It has no sound and no Latin letter.
  • Tau, t U+2CA6 Coptic capital letter tau. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 20 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 300. Greek match Τ, τ. Latin transliteration T, t. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /t/.
  • Thethe, th U+2C90 Coptic capital letter thethe. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 9 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 9. Greek match Θ, θ. Latin transliteration Th, th. Sound in Sahidic /th/, in Bohairic /tʰ/.
  • Ua, u U+2CA8 Coptic capital letter ua. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 21 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 400. Greek match Υ, υ. Latin transliteration U, u. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /w/ (ⲟⲩ = /u/, /w/).
  • Vida, b U+2C82 Coptic capital letter vida. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 2 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 2. Greek match Β, β. Latin transliteration B, b. Sound in Sahidic /β/, in Bohairic /β/ (final [b]).
  • Zata, z U+2C8C Coptic capital letter zata. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 7 of 32. As a numeral it stands for 7. Greek match Ζ, ζ. Latin transliteration Z, z. Sound in Sahidic /s/ (marked Greek words).

Small letters 32

  • Small alfa, a U+2C81 Coptic small letter alfa. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 1 of 32. The small letter of Ⲁ. As a numeral it stands for 1. Greek match Α, α. Latin transliteration A, a. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /a/.
  • Small dalda, d U+2C87 Coptic small letter dalda. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 4 of 32. The small letter of Ⲇ. As a numeral it stands for 4. Greek match Δ, δ. Latin transliteration D, d. Sound in Sahidic /t/ (marked Greek words).
  • Small dei, ti U+03EF Coptic small letter dei. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 32 of 32. The small letter of Ϯ. Greek match Τι, τι. Latin transliteration Ti, ti. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ti/.
  • Small eie, e U+2C89 Coptic small letter eie. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 5 of 32. The small letter of Ⲉ. As a numeral it stands for 5. Greek match Ε, ε. Latin transliteration E, e. Sound in Sahidic /ɛ/, /ə/ (ⲉⲓ = /i/, /j/), in Bohairic /ɛ/, /ə/ (ⲓⲉ = /e/).
  • Small fei, f U+03E5 Coptic small letter fei. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 27 of 32. The small letter of Ϥ. As a numeral it stands for 90. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration F, f. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /f/.
  • Small fi, ph U+2CAB Coptic small letter fi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 22 of 32. The small letter of Ⲫ. As a numeral it stands for 500. Greek match Φ, φ. Latin transliteration Ph, ph. Sound in Sahidic /ph/, in Bohairic /pʰ/.
  • Small gamma, g U+2C85 Coptic small letter gamma. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 3 of 32. The small letter of Ⲅ. As a numeral it stands for 3. Greek match Γ, γ. Latin transliteration G, g. Sound in Sahidic /k/ (marked Greek words).
  • Small gangia, j U+03EB Coptic small letter gangia. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 30 of 32. The small letter of Ϫ. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration J, j. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /t͡ʃ/.
  • Small hate, ē U+2C8F Coptic small letter hate. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 8 of 32. The small letter of Ⲏ. As a numeral it stands for 8. Greek match Η, η. Latin transliteration Ē, ē. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /e/.
  • Small hori, h U+03E9 Coptic small letter hori. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 29 of 32. The small letter of Ϩ. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration H, h. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /h/.
  • Small iauda, i U+2C93 Coptic small letter iauda. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 10 of 32. The small letter of Ⲓ. As a numeral it stands for 10. Greek match Ι, ι. Latin transliteration I, i. Sound in Sahidic /iː/, /j/, in Bohairic /i/, /j/, /ə/ (ⲓⲉ = /e/).
  • Small kapa, k U+2C95 Coptic small letter kapa. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 11 of 32. The small letter of Ⲕ. As a numeral it stands for 20. Greek match Κ, κ. Latin transliteration K, k. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /k/.
  • Small khei, x U+03E7 Coptic small letter khei. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 28 of 32. The small letter of Ϧ. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration X, x / H̱, ẖ. Sound in Bohairic /x/.
  • Small khi, kh U+2CAD Coptic small letter khi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 23 of 32. The small letter of Ⲭ. As a numeral it stands for 600. Greek match Χ, χ. Latin transliteration Kh, kh. Sound in Sahidic /kh/, in Bohairic /kʰ/.
  • Small ksi, ks U+2C9D Coptic small letter ksi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 15 of 32. The small letter of Ⲝ. As a numeral it stands for 60. Greek match Ξ, ξ. Latin transliteration Ks, ks. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ks/ (only in Greek loanwords).
  • Small laula, l U+2C97 Coptic small letter laula. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 12 of 32. The small letter of Ⲗ. As a numeral it stands for 30. Greek match Λ, λ. Latin transliteration L, l. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /l/.
  • Small mi, m U+2C99 Coptic small letter mi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 13 of 32. The small letter of Ⲙ. As a numeral it stands for 40. Greek match Μ, μ. Latin transliteration M, m. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /m/.
  • Small ni, n U+2C9B Coptic small letter ni. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 14 of 32. The small letter of Ⲛ. As a numeral it stands for 50. Greek match Ν, ν. Latin transliteration N, n. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /n/.
  • Small o, o U+2C9F Coptic small letter o. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 16 of 32. The small letter of Ⲟ. As a numeral it stands for 70. Greek match Ο, ο. Latin transliteration O, o. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ɔ/ (ⲟⲩ = /u/, /w/).
  • Small oou, ō U+2CB1 Coptic small letter oou. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 25 of 32. The small letter of Ⲱ. As a numeral it stands for 800. Greek match Ω, ω. Latin transliteration Ō, ō. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /o/.
  • Small pi, p U+2CA1 Coptic small letter pi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 17 of 32. The small letter of Ⲡ. As a numeral it stands for 80. Greek match Π, π. Latin transliteration P, p. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /p/.
  • Small psi, ps U+2CAF Coptic small letter psi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 24 of 32. The small letter of Ⲯ. As a numeral it stands for 700. Greek match Ψ, ψ. Latin transliteration Ps, ps.
  • Small ro, r U+2CA3 Coptic small letter ro. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 18 of 32. The small letter of Ⲣ. As a numeral it stands for 100. Greek match Ρ, ρ. Latin transliteration R, r. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ɾ/~/r/.
  • Small shei, š U+03E3 Coptic small letter shei. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 26 of 32. The small letter of Ϣ. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration Š, š / Sh, sh. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /ʃ/.
  • Small shima, c U+03ED Coptic small letter shima. Greek and Coptic block, Unicode 1.1. Letter 31 of 32. The small letter of Ϭ. No Greek match: the letter comes from Demotic. Latin transliteration C, c / Č, č. Sound in Sahidic /kʲ/, in Bohairic /t͡ʃʰ/.
  • Small sima, s U+2CA5 Coptic small letter sima. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 19 of 32. The small letter of Ⲥ. As a numeral it stands for 200. Greek match Σ, σ, ς. Latin transliteration S, s. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /s/.
  • Small sou, 6 U+2C8B Coptic small letter sou. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 6 of 32. The small letter of Ⲋ. As a numeral it stands for 6. It has no sound and no Latin letter.
  • Small tau, t U+2CA7 Coptic small letter tau. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 20 of 32. The small letter of Ⲧ. As a numeral it stands for 300. Greek match Τ, τ. Latin transliteration T, t. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /t/.
  • Small thethe, th U+2C91 Coptic small letter thethe. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 9 of 32. The small letter of Ⲑ. As a numeral it stands for 9. Greek match Θ, θ. Latin transliteration Th, th. Sound in Sahidic /th/, in Bohairic /tʰ/.
  • Small ua, u U+2CA9 Coptic small letter ua. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 21 of 32. The small letter of Ⲩ. As a numeral it stands for 400. Greek match Υ, υ. Latin transliteration U, u. Sound in Sahidic and in Bohairic /w/ (ⲟⲩ = /u/, /w/).
  • Small vida, b U+2C83 Coptic small letter vida. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 2 of 32. The small letter of Ⲃ. As a numeral it stands for 2. Greek match Β, β. Latin transliteration B, b. Sound in Sahidic /β/, in Bohairic /β/ (final [b]).
  • Small zata, z U+2C8D Coptic small letter zata. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. Letter 7 of 32. The small letter of Ⲍ. As a numeral it stands for 7. Greek match Ζ, ζ. Latin transliteration Z, z. Sound in Sahidic /s/ (marked Greek words).

Other letters 4

  • Akhmimic khei U+2CC8 Coptic capital letter Akhmimic khei. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. The table: used only in Akhmimic, for /x/; no name is recorded for it. The name here is Unicode's.
  • Sampi, 900 U+2CC0 Coptic capital letter sampi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. As a numeral it stands for 900. It has no sound and no Latin letter.
  • Small Akhmimic khei U+2CC9 Coptic small letter Akhmimic khei. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. The small letter of Ⳉ. The table: used only in Akhmimic, for /x/; no name is recorded for it. The name here is Unicode's.
  • Small sampi, 900 U+2CC1 Coptic small letter sampi. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1. The small letter of Ⳁ. As a numeral it stands for 900. It has no sound and no Latin letter.

Signs and stops 11

  • Full stop U+2CFE Coptic full stop. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Morphological divider U+2CFF Coptic morphological divider. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Old Nubian full stop U+2CF9 Coptic Old Nubian full stop. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Old Nubian verse divider U+2CFC Coptic Old Nubian verse divider. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Symbol kai U+2CE4 Coptic symbol kai. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Symbol khi ro U+2CE9 Coptic symbol khi ro. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Symbol mi ro U+2CE5 Coptic symbol mi ro. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Symbol pi ro U+2CE6 Coptic symbol pi ro. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Symbol shima sima U+2CEA Coptic symbol shima sima. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Symbol stauros U+2CE7 Coptic symbol stauros. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.
  • Symbol tau ro U+2CE8 Coptic symbol tau ro. Coptic block, Unicode 4.1.

How this list was compiled: Every character was checked against UnicodeData.txt, version 18.0.0 (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/UnicodeData.txt): the code points and the character names in the notes come from that file, names in sentence case. Block names come from Blocks.txt (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/Blocks.txt) and the Unicode version each character arrived in from DerivedAge.txt (https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/DerivedAge.txt), both version 18.0.0. The order of the letters, the numeric value of each, its Greek match, its Latin transliteration and its sound in the Sahidic and Bohairic dialects follow the letter table of Wikipedia's Coptic script article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coptic_script), which says of its own transliteration column that no scheme is named for it. A tile name is the Unicode letter name and the small Latin letter of that table; the table records no letter names. The list of 32 letters was compared with the exemplar characters of the Coptic locale of CLDR (https://github.com/unicode-org/cldr/blob/main/common/main/cop.xml) and holds the same 32 in the same order; the signs and punctuation marks are the ones that locale lists from the Coptic block. The small letter of a capital is its lowercase mapping in UnicodeData.txt. Left out: the Old Coptic and dialect letters, the Old Nubian letters, the cryptogrammic letters and the combining marks of the Coptic block, and the Coptic Epact Numbers block. The tile names and the grouping are this site's own. Each tile was drawn on 2026-10-14 before it was kept, and all that are here drew. All sources were read on 2026-10-14. Licence: own work

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