Latin Alphabet | Alphabetum Latinum
The classical Latin alphabet consists of 23 letters, the foundation of most modern European alphabets.
A a
A
a
B b
Be
b
C c
Ce
k
D d
De
d
E e
E
e
F f
Ef
f
G g
Ge
g
H h
Ha
h
I i
I
i
K k
Ka
k
L l
El
l
M m
Em
m
N n
En
n
O o
O
o
P p
Pe
p
Q q
Qu
kw
R r
Er
r
S s
Es
s
T t
Te
t
V v
U/V
w/u
X x
Ex
ks
Y y
I Graeca
y
Z z
Zeta
z
Download Alphabet Chart
About the Latin Alphabet
The classical Latin alphabet consists of 23 letters. In classical times, there was no distinction between U and V, or between I and J. The letters Y and Z were added later for Greek loanwords. Latin is the ancestor of Romance languages and the Latin alphabet is the basis for most Western alphabets.
History
The Latin alphabet evolved from the Etruscan alphabet around the 7th century BCE, which itself came from the Greek alphabet. The classical 23-letter alphabet was used throughout the Roman Empire. The letters J, U, and W were added in medieval and modern times, creating the modern 26-letter alphabet.
Key Features
- Written from left to right
- 23 classical letters
- No U/V or I/J distinction originally
- Basis for Romance languages
- Foundation of Western alphabets
- Over 2,700 years old