Estonian Alphabet | Eesti tähestik
The Estonian alphabet consists of 32 letters using the Latin script with special characters like š, ž, õ, ä, ö, and ü.
A a
A
a
B b
Bee
b
C c
Tsee
ts
D d
Dee
d
E e
E
e
F f
Eff
f
G g
Gee
g
H h
Haa
h
I i
I
i
J j
Jott
y
K k
Kaa
k
L l
Ell
l
M m
Emm
m
N n
Enn
n
O o
O
o
P p
Pee
p
Q q
Kuu
k
R r
Err
r
S s
Ess
s
Š š
Šaa
sh
Z z
Tsett
ts
Ž ž
Žee
zh
T t
Tee
t
U u
U
u
V v
Vee
v
W w
Kaksisvee
v
Õ õ
Õ
uh
Ä ä
Ää
ae
Ö ö
Öö
oe
Ü ü
Üü
ue
X x
Iks
ks
Y y
Igrek
i
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About the Estonian Alphabet
The Estonian alphabet uses the Latin script with 32 letters. It includes special characters õ, ä, ö, and ü, with õ being unique to Estonian. The alphabet also includes š and ž for foreign words. Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language with a highly phonetic writing system.
History
The Estonian alphabet was standardized in the 19th century during the Estonian national awakening. It was based on the German alphabet but adapted for Estonian phonology. The letter õ, unique to Estonian, was added to represent a sound not found in other languages. The modern alphabet was finalized in the early 20th century.
Key Features
- Written from left to right
- 32 letters with special characters
- Letter õ unique to Estonian
- Highly phonetic spelling
- Based on Latin script
- Standardized in 19th century