Rune Translator

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Rune Translator

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Direction: Latin letters to Runes

Sample Elder Futhark: the oldest runes

ᚾᛟᚱᚦᛖᚱᚾ ᛚᛁᚷᚺᛏᛊ

Same text, other sets

Younger Futhark: long-branch ᚾᚬᚱᚦᛁᚱᚾ ᛚᛁᚴᚼᛏᛋ
Younger Futhark: short-twig ᚿᚭᚱᚦᛁᚱᚿ ᛚᛁᚴᚽᛐᛌ

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Check it fits: limit characters

Letter for letter, from the table under the tool. A character with no entry stays exactly as you typed it. The way back says when two letters share one code.

Next step The English row: Anglo-Saxon runes The same name in four ancient scripts at once

All 90 rows

Elder Futhark, first eight: f, u, th, a, r, k, g, w 8

Ansuz, the a rune U+16A8. Ansuz, meaning god. Written for a. Fourth of the 24.
Fehu, the f rune U+16A0. Fehu, meaning cattle or wealth. Written for f. First of the 24.
Gebo, the g rune U+16B7. Gebo, meaning gift. Written for g. Seventh of the 24.
Kauna, the k rune U+16B2. Kauna, meaning boil. Written for k. Sixth of the 24.
Raido, the r rune U+16B1. Raido, meaning ride or journey. Written for r. Fifth of the 24.
Thurisaz, the th rune U+16A6. Thurisaz, meaning giant or monster. Written for the pair th, which is matched before t and h. Third of the 24.
Uruz, the u rune U+16A2. Uruz, meaning the aurochs. Written for u. Second of the 24.
Wunjo, the w rune U+16B9. Wunjo, meaning joy. Written for w. Eighth of the 24.

Show all 90 rows (82 more)

Elder Futhark, second eight: h, n, i, j, ï, p, z, s 8

Algiz, the z rune U+16C9. Algiz, meaning elk. Written for z, a sound that later turned into an r sound. Fifteenth of the 24.
Haglaz, the h rune U+16BA. Haglaz, meaning hail. Written for h. Ninth of the 24.
Isaz, the i rune U+16C1. Isaz, meaning ice. Written for i. Eleventh of the 24.
Iwaz, the ï rune U+16C7. Iwaz, meaning yew tree. Scholars write it ï, and no plain English letter stands for it, so it shows only when an ï is typed. Thirteenth of the 24.
Jeran, the j rune U+16C3. Jeran, meaning year or harvest. Written for j. Its sound was the y of year. Twelfth of the 24.
Naudiz, the n rune U+16BE. Naudiz, meaning need or affliction. Written for n. Tenth of the 24.
Pertho, the p rune U+16C8. Pertho. What the name meant is not known. Written for p. Fourteenth of the 24.
Sowilo, the s rune U+16CA. Sowilo, meaning sun. Written for s. Sixteenth of the 24.

Elder Futhark, third eight: t, b, e, m, l, ng, d, o 8

Berkanan, the b rune U+16D2. Berkanan, meaning birch. Written for b. Eighteenth of the 24.
Dagaz, the d rune U+16DE. Dagaz, meaning day. Written for d. Twenty-third of the 24 on the earliest listing of the row; later listings swap it with othalan.
Ehwaz, the e rune U+16D6. Ehwaz, meaning horse. Written for e. Nineteenth of the 24.
Ingwaz, the ng rune U+16DC. Ingwaz, named after Ing. Written for the pair ng, which is matched before n and g. Twenty-second of the 24.
Laguz, the l rune U+16DA. Laguz, meaning water or liquid. The Unicode name uses another reading of the name, laukaz, which means leek. Written for l. Twenty-first of the 24.
Mannaz, the m rune U+16D7. Mannaz, meaning man or human. Written for m. Twentieth of the 24.
Othalan, the o rune U+16DF. Othalan, meaning inheritance or household. Written for o. Twenty-fourth of the 24 on the earliest listing of the row; later listings swap it with dagaz.
Tiwaz, the t rune U+16CF. Tiwaz, meaning the god Tiwaz. Written for t. Seventeenth of the 24.

Elder Futhark: stand-ins for letters it never had 5

C, a stand-in with kauna U+16B2. A stand-in: the 24 runes have no c. C borrows kauna, the k rune, for its hard sound.
Q, a stand-in with kauna U+16B2. A stand-in: the 24 runes have no q. Q borrows kauna, the k rune.
V, a stand-in with wunjo U+16B9. A stand-in: the 24 runes have no v. V borrows wunjo, the w rune.
X, a stand-in with algiz U+16C9. A stand-in: the 24 runes have no x. X borrows algiz. The Anglo-Saxon row used this rune to write the Latin letter x.
Y, a stand-in with jeran U+16C3. A stand-in: the 24 runes have no y. Y borrows jeran, whose sound was the y of year.

Younger Futhark, long-branch runes 16

Ar, the long-branch a rune U+16C5. Ar. The long-branch form. Written for a. The table also gives it æ and e. Tenth of the 16.
Bjarkan, the long-branch b rune U+16D2. Bjarkan. The long-branch form. Written for b. The table also gives it p. Thirteenth of the 16.
Fe, the long-branch f rune U+16A0. Fe. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for f. First of the 16.
Hagall, the long-branch h rune U+16BC. Hagall. The long-branch form. Written for h. Seventh of the 16.
Iss, the long-branch i rune U+16C1. Iss. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for i. The table also gives it e. Ninth of the 16.
Kaun, the long-branch k rune U+16B4. Kaun. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for k. The table also gives it g and the ng sound. Sixth of the 16.
Logr, the long-branch l rune U+16DA. Logr. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for l. Fifteenth of the 16.
Madr, the long-branch m rune U+16D8. Madr. The long-branch form. Written for m. Fourteenth of the 16.
Naud, the long-branch n rune U+16BE. Naud. The long-branch form. Written for n. Eighth of the 16.
Oss, the long-branch o rune U+16AC. Oss. The long-branch form. Written for o. The table gives it a nasal a, o and æ. Fourth of the 16.
Reid, the long-branch r rune U+16B1. Reid. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for r. Fifth of the 16.
Sol, the long-branch s rune U+16CB. Sol. The long-branch form. Written for s. Eleventh of the 16.
Thurs, the long-branch th rune U+16A6. Thurs. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for the pair th, which is matched before t and h. Third of the 16.
Tyr, the long-branch t rune U+16CF. Tyr. The long-branch form. Written for t. The table also gives it d. Twelfth of the 16.
Ur, the long-branch u rune U+16A2. Ur. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for u. The table also gives it v, w, y and o. Second of the 16.
Yr, the long-branch ʀ rune U+16E6. Yr. The long-branch form. Scholars write it ʀ, an r sound at the ends of words, so it shows only when a ʀ is typed. Sixteenth of the 16.

Long-branch: letters that share a rune 13

C, a stand-in with long-branch kaun U+16B4. A stand-in: the 16 runes have no c. C borrows the k rune. Swap reads it back as k.
D, written with long-branch tyr U+16CF. The table gives this rune t and d. So d is written with tyr, and Swap reads it back as t.
E, written with long-branch iss U+16C1. The table gives this rune i and e. So e is written with iss, and Swap reads it back as i.
G, written with long-branch kaun U+16B4. The table gives this rune k and g. So g is written with kaun, and Swap reads it back as k.
J, a stand-in with long-branch iss U+16C1. A stand-in: the 16 runes have no j. J borrows the i rune. Swap reads it back as i.
Ng, written with long-branch kaun U+16B4. The table gives this rune the ng sound as well. The pair is matched before n and g. So ng is written with kaun, and Swap reads it back as k.
P, written with long-branch bjarkan U+16D2. The table gives this rune b and p. So p is written with bjarkan, and Swap reads it back as b.
Q, a stand-in with long-branch kaun U+16B4. A stand-in: the 16 runes have no q. Q borrows the k rune. Swap reads it back as k.
V, written with long-branch ur U+16A2. The table gives this rune u, v and w. So v is written with ur, and Swap reads it back as u.
W, written with long-branch ur U+16A2. The table gives this rune u, v and w. So w is written with ur, and Swap reads it back as u.
X in the long-branch row: no rune The 16 runes have no x and no single rune for its sound, so an x stays as typed. Spell it ks to write it in runes.
Y, written with long-branch ur U+16A2. The table gives this rune y as well as u. So y is written with ur, and Swap reads it back as u.
Z, a stand-in with long-branch sol U+16CB. A stand-in: the 16 runes have no z. Z borrows the s rune. Swap reads it back as s.

Younger Futhark, short-twig runes 16

Ar, the short-twig a rune U+16C6. Ar. The short-twig form. Written for a. The table also gives it æ and e. Tenth of the 16.
Bjarkan, the short-twig b rune U+16D3. Bjarkan. The short-twig form. Written for b. The table also gives it p. Thirteenth of the 16.
Fe, the short-twig f rune U+16A0. Fe. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for f. First of the 16.
Hagall, the short-twig h rune U+16BD. Hagall. The short-twig form. Written for h. Seventh of the 16.
Iss, the short-twig i rune U+16C1. Iss. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for i. The table also gives it e. Ninth of the 16.
Kaun, the short-twig k rune U+16B4. Kaun. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for k. The table also gives it g and the ng sound. Sixth of the 16.
Logr, the short-twig l rune U+16DA. Logr. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for l. Fifteenth of the 16.
Madr, the short-twig m rune U+16D9. Madr. The short-twig form. Written for m. Fourteenth of the 16.
Naud, the short-twig n rune U+16BF. Naud. The short-twig form. Written for n. Eighth of the 16.
Oss, the short-twig o rune U+16AD. Oss. The short-twig form. Written for o. The table gives it a nasal a, o and æ. Fourth of the 16.
Reid, the short-twig r rune U+16B1. Reid. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for r. Fifth of the 16.
Sol, the short-twig s rune U+16CC. Sol. The short-twig form. Written for s. Eleventh of the 16.
Thurs, the short-twig th rune U+16A6. Thurs. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for the pair th, which is matched before t and h. Third of the 16.
Tyr, the short-twig t rune U+16D0. Tyr. The short-twig form. Written for t. The table also gives it d. Twelfth of the 16.
Ur, the short-twig u rune U+16A2. Ur. The same shape in both forms of the row. Written for u. The table also gives it v, w, y and o. Second of the 16.
Yr, the short-twig ʀ rune U+16E7. Yr. The short-twig form. Scholars write it ʀ, an r sound at the ends of words, so it shows only when a ʀ is typed. Sixteenth of the 16.

Short-twig: letters that share a rune 13

C, a stand-in with short-twig kaun U+16B4. A stand-in: the 16 runes have no c. C borrows the k rune. Swap reads it back as k.
D, written with short-twig tyr U+16D0. The table gives this rune t and d. So d is written with tyr, and Swap reads it back as t.
E, written with short-twig iss U+16C1. The table gives this rune i and e. So e is written with iss, and Swap reads it back as i.
G, written with short-twig kaun U+16B4. The table gives this rune k and g. So g is written with kaun, and Swap reads it back as k.
J, a stand-in with short-twig iss U+16C1. A stand-in: the 16 runes have no j. J borrows the i rune. Swap reads it back as i.
Ng, written with short-twig kaun U+16B4. The table gives this rune the ng sound as well. The pair is matched before n and g. So ng is written with kaun, and Swap reads it back as k.
P, written with short-twig bjarkan U+16D3. The table gives this rune b and p. So p is written with bjarkan, and Swap reads it back as b.
Q, a stand-in with short-twig kaun U+16B4. A stand-in: the 16 runes have no q. Q borrows the k rune. Swap reads it back as k.
V, written with short-twig ur U+16A2. The table gives this rune u, v and w. So v is written with ur, and Swap reads it back as u.
W, written with short-twig ur U+16A2. The table gives this rune u, v and w. So w is written with ur, and Swap reads it back as u.
X in the short-twig row: no rune The 16 runes have no x and no single rune for its sound, so an x stays as typed. Spell it ks to write it in runes.
Y, written with short-twig ur U+16A2. The table gives this rune y as well as u. So y is written with ur, and Swap reads it back as u.
Z, a stand-in with short-twig sol U+16CC. A stand-in: the 16 runes have no z. Z borrows the s rune. Swap reads it back as s.

Marks between words 3

Cross between words, typed as a plus sign U+16ED. Runic cross punctuation. A small cross, a separator found in runic inscriptions. Written for a plus sign: type + to get it.
Dot between words, typed as a period U+16EB. Runic single punctuation. One dot at mid height, a separator found in runic inscriptions. Written for a period: type . to get it.
Two dots between words, typed as a colon U+16EC. Runic multiple punctuation. Two dots, one above the other, a separator found in runic inscriptions. Written for a colon: type : to get it.

How this list was compiled: Checked on 2026-10-01. Code points and names: the Runic block, U+16A0 to U+16F8, in https://www.unicode.org/Public/18.0.0/ucd/UnicodeData.txt (Unicode 18.0.0); the rune names used here (fehu, uruz; fe, ur, thurs, oss) are the ones inside each Unicode name, with one exception: the l rune is called laguz, the name the Elder Futhark table gives beside the meaning water, because laukaz, the reading inside its Unicode name, means leek (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguz, read on 2026-10-01). The letter scholars write each of the 24 runes with and what each name meant: the table of names in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Futhark, read on 2026-10-01; this file is checked against it. Order of the 24: the three rows of eight in the same article's description, which end d, o as the earliest listing of the row does (the Kylver stone, about 400); the article records that two listings of the 6th century end o, d, and its table of names follows them. The 16 runes of the Younger Futhark in their long-branch and short-twig forms, their order and the letters each one writes: the three tables of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Younger_Futhark, read the same day and checked the same way. That the Anglo-Saxon row wrote the Latin letter x with the algiz rune, and the Anglo-Saxon runes the first set reads back: the rune table of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_runes, read the same day. The three marks are the separators found in runic inscriptions that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_(Unicode_block), read the same day, describes: a single dot, a double dot and a cross. Which rune a modern letter gets where a row had none (c, q, v, x and y in the oldest row; c, q, j and z in the Viking Age row) is this page's own choice, and each such row is labeled a stand-in. The page swaps letters. It translates nothing, and a rune carver spelled by sound, so an old inscription of the same name could look different. Licence: own list; facts from the Unicode Character Database (Unicode License v3) and from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), restated in this site's own words

How it works

This runic translator swaps each letter you type for a rune and reads runes back. It changes letters, not meaning: nothing is translated. Some apps strip or block these characters, and screen readers may read them badly.

Read the full guide

Elder Futhark translator: the first row

The large card uses the oldest runes, the 24 of the Elder Futhark, found on objects from the 2nd to the 8th centuries. Th and ng have a rune each. C, q, v, x and y had none and borrow one, marked as a stand-in in the list. A futhark translator is named after the first six runes: f, u, th, a, r, k.

Norse runes translator: the two rows under it

These use the Younger Futhark of the Viking Age, 16 runes in long-branch and short-twig forms. One rune writes several letters: this Viking rune translator gives u, v, w and y the same rune. Press Swap to read runes back: the runic alphabet translator in the first row also reads Viking Age and most Anglo-Saxon forms.

Runes have no capitals, so Astrid and ASTRID come out the same.
Type a period between words to get a dot, one of the separators found in rune inscriptions.

Questions and answers

Is this a runic language translator?

No. Runic symbols are letters, not a language. The page swaps each letter of your words for a rune, so the words stay English, the way a name stays the same name in capitals.

Are Norse letters, Nordic letters and Viking letters the same?

Here, yes: all three are names people give to runes. Wikipedia records that the Younger Futhark, 16 runes, was in use from about the 9th century, roughly through the Viking Age. It was cut down from the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark.

Can a Viking translator put English into Old Norse?

Not this one. It writes your own words in the runes of the Viking Age, letter for letter, and knows no Old Norse word. A real translation needs a dictionary and a grammar.

Why does Swap not give my exact spelling back?

In the Viking Age rows one rune stands for several letters, so the way back gives the first of them: d comes back as t, and g as k. The Elder Futhark row reads back exactly, except for its five stand-ins and capitals.

Why do I see empty boxes?

The characters arrived and the font did not. Runes have been in Unicode since version 3.0, but a device shows them only if one of its fonts draws them.