Samaritan Alphabet
The Samaritan alphabet consists of 22 letters, a direct descendant of the ancient Hebrew script.
ࠀ
Alaf
a
ࠁ
Bit
b
ࠂ
Gamal
g
ࠃ
Dalat
d
ࠄ
Iy
h
ࠅ
Baa
w
ࠆ
Zen
z
ࠇ
It
h
ࠈ
Tit
t
ࠉ
Yut
y
ࠊ
Kaaf
k
ࠋ
Labat
l
ࠌ
Mim
m
ࠍ
Nun
n
ࠎ
Singaat
s
ࠏ
In
a
ࠐ
Fi
p
ࠑ
Tsaadiy
ts
ࠒ
Quf
q
ࠓ
Rish
r
ࠔ
Shan
sh
ࠕ
Taaf
t
Download Alphabet Chart
About the Samaritan Alphabet
The Samaritan alphabet is a direct descendant of the ancient Hebrew script used before the Babylonian exile. It consists of 22 letters and is still used by the Samaritan community to write Samaritan Hebrew and Samaritan Aramaic. The script has remained largely unchanged for over 2,000 years.
History
The Samaritan alphabet evolved from the Paleo-Hebrew script around the 6th century BCE. While mainstream Judaism adopted the Aramaic-derived square Hebrew script, the Samaritan community preserved the older form. The script has been used continuously by Samaritans for religious texts and is one of the oldest alphabets still in use.
Key Features
- Written from right to left
- 22 letters
- Direct descendant of Paleo-Hebrew
- Over 2,000 years old
- Still used by Samaritans
- Largely unchanged