01OVERVIEW
Front Matter
SCRIPT · PROFILE
Greek Ελληνικά
The first alphabet in history to write vowels — why π, σ, Δ became the lingua franca of mathematics and science.
Derived from Phoenician script around the 9th century BC, the Greek alphabet was the first in history to systematically represent vowels — making it a truly complete alphabet. The direct ancestor of Latin, Cyrillic, and Coptic, it is the textual foundation of modern Western civilization. Still used in international mathematics, science, and philosophy (π, σ, Δ, etc.), and the word "alphabet" itself comes from its first two letters, alpha and beta.
02ARTIFACT
Primary Artifact
Dipylon Inscription
c. 740 BC · found in Athens · National Archaeological Museum
Full
Letters
Close-up
— One of the oldest known inscriptions in the Greek alphabet · 8th century BC
A verse couplet incised on a wine jar excavated near the Dipylon cemetery in Athens. Living evidence of the earliest Greek alphabet — freshly adapted from Phoenician — and one of humanity's first records to spell out all five vowels (α·ε·ι·ο·υ) in a single line.
04SPECIMEN
The Letters
Signs · Unicode · TypesSample GlyphsClick to copy
Glyph evolution
Form change over time
Loading evolution data…
06MECHANICS
Reading Mechanics
Direction · Method↔
Direction
Left to Right (LTR)
Left to right; early texts ran right-to-left or boustrophedon.
α
System
Alphabet
⌨
Input method
Direct Unicode input
Keyboard layout
Standard IME · input chart
Greek Keyboard Layout
Mirrors Latin layout positions. α↔a, β↔b, γ↔g etc.
΅ς
Εε
Ρρ
Ττ
Υυ
Θθ
Ιι
Οο
Ππ
Αα
Σσ
Δδ
Φφ
Γγ
Ηη
Ξξ
Κκ
Λλ
Ζζ
Χχ
Ψψ
Ωω
Ββ
Νν
Μμ
space
⌫
💡 Accent mark (΄) on a separate key. Modern Greek: η=ι=υ=ει=οι=υι all pronounced /i/.
07LINEAGE
The Lineage
Family · DescendantsPhylogeny
Ancestors & descendants
Phylogeny
Related scripts
Ancestors · Descendants · Family
08REACH