THE COPTIC SCRIPT

The Coptic Script is the method in which the Copts wrote their language. In the Pharaonic era, the Egyptians used about 10,000 Hieroglyphic signs. The Copts noticed that the Greeks used only 25 letters to write their language so they realized that this method of writing would be much easier. Hence, borrowed the 25 Greek letters, and added to them seven more of Demotic Egyptian origin. These letters are called (in respective order): alpha, beta, ghamma, delta, ai, sow, zeta, eeta, theeta, yota, kappa, laula, mi, ni, xi, o, pi, ro, sima, tav, ipsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega, shy, fy, khy, hori, janja, cheema and ti. The sixth letter is not used as a letter, but as a numeral whose value is 6 though most Greek letters were also used as numerals.

Dr. Kamal Farid Isaac
Coptic Language Departement at the Institute of Coptic Studies – Cairo