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The Armenian alphabet: all 39 letters
The full chart of the 39 Armenian letters — name, transliteration and sound — plus a simple method to learn it in a few days.
The Armenian alphabet has 39 letters, created around 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots. Each letter maps to one sound, so reading becomes regular and logical once you know the characters.
💡 Armenian is written left to right and spelling is almost phonetic. Expect a few days to read the alphabet.
The 39 letters of the Armenian alphabet
| Letter | Name | Translit. | Sound (IPA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ա ա | այբ (ayb) | a | /ɑ/ |
| Բ բ | բեն (ben) | b | /b/ |
| Գ գ | գիմ (guim) | g | /ɡ/ |
| Դ դ | դա (da) | d | /d/ |
| Ե ե | եչ (yetch) | e / ye | /ɛ/, /jɛ/ |
| Զ զ | զա (za) | z | /z/ |
| Է է | է (ê) | e | /ɛ/ |
| Ը ը | ըթ (ət) | ə | /ə/ |
| Թ թ | թո (to) | t’ | /tʰ/ |
| Ժ ժ | ժե (jé) | ž (j) | /ʒ/ |
| Ի ի | ինի (ini) | i | /i/ |
| Լ լ | լյուն (lyoun) | l | /l/ |
| Խ խ | խե (khé) | x (kh) | /χ/ |
| Ծ ծ | ծա (tsa) | c (ts) | /t͡s/ |
| Կ կ | կեն (ken) | k | /k/ |
| Հ հ | հո (ho) | h | /h/ |
| Ձ ձ | ձա (dza) | j (dz) | /d͡z/ |
| Ղ ղ | ղատ (ghat) | ġ (gh) | /ʁ/ |
| Ճ ճ | ճե (tché) | č (tch) | /t͡ʃ/ |
| Մ մ | մեն (men) | m | /m/ |
| Յ յ | յի (yi) | y | /j/ |
| Ն ն | նու (nou) | n | /n/ |
| Շ շ | շա (cha) | š (ch) | /ʃ/ |
| Ո ո | ո (vo) | o / vo | /o/, /vo/ |
| Չ չ | չա (tcha) | č’ (tch) | /t͡ʃʰ/ |
| Պ պ | պե (pé) | p | /p/ |
| Ջ ջ | ջե (djé) | ǰ (dj) | /d͡ʒ/ |
| Ռ ռ | ռա (rra) | ṙ (rr) | /r/ |
| Ս ս | սե (sé) | s | /s/ |
| Վ վ | վեվ (vev) | v | /v/ |
| Տ տ | տյուն (tioun) | t | /t/ |
| Ր ր | րե (ré) | r | /ɾ/ |
| Ց ց | ցո (tso) | c’ (ts) | /t͡sʰ/ |
| Ւ ւ | հյուն (hioun) | w / u | /v/, /u/ |
| Փ փ | փյուր (pioup) | p’ | /pʰ/ |
| Ք ք | քե (ké) | k’ | /kʰ/ |
| Օ օ | օ (o) | o | /o/ |
| Ֆ ֆ | ֆե (fé) | f | /f/ |
| և և | և (yev) | ev | /jɛv/ |
How to learn it fast
- 5 letters a day, with audio.
- Sound + image: one mnemonic per letter.
- Read real words right away (hello, your name).
- Spaced repetition to make it stick.
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Start free →Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the Armenian alphabet?
39 letters: 38 created by Mesrop Mashtots around 405 AD, plus the ligature “և” (yev).
How long does it take to learn the Armenian alphabet?
With 5 letters a day and audio, most beginners can read the alphabet in a few days to two weeks.
Do Eastern and Western Armenian share the same alphabet?
Yes, both variants use the same 39-letter alphabet; only the pronunciation of some consonants differs.