Writing system
Alphabet
Explore all 24 letters with transliterations and reconstructed Classical Attic sounds. Pronunciation varied across periods and dialects.
Alpha
a · /a/
Beta
b · /b/
Gamma
g · /ɡ/
Delta
d · /d/
Epsilon
e · /e/
Zeta
z · /zd/
Eta
ē · /ɛː/
Theta
th · /tʰ/
Iota
i · /i/
Kappa
k · /k/
Lambda
l · /l/
Mu
m · /m/
Nu
n · /n/
Xi
x · /ks/
Omicron
o · /o/
Pi
p · /p/
Rho
r · /r/
Sigma
s · /s/
Tau
t · /t/
Upsilon
y · /y/
Phi
ph · /pʰ/
Chi
ch · /kʰ/
Psi
ps · /ps/
Omega
ō · /ɔː/
Counting
Numbers
Compare Ancient Greek number words, alphabetic numerals, and transliterations.
How it works
Grammar
Learn how endings express case, gender, number, tense, mood, and voice.
Five cases
Nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, and vocative endings show how a noun functions in a sentence.
Rich verb system
Verbs distinguish active, middle, and passive voice alongside several moods and aspect-based tense stems.
Pitch accent
Classical Greek accents originally marked pitch patterns rather than the stress system of Modern Greek.
Explore a short phrase
Select a word from the Delphic maxim to see its form and meaning.
gnôthi · know
Second-person singular aorist imperative of gignōskō: a direct command to know.
“ γνῶθι σεαυτόν ” — Know yourself.
Development
History
Follow the language from regional dialects to Classical and Koine Greek.
c. 800–500 BCE
Archaic Greek
Early alphabetic inscriptions and poetry preserve dialects including Ionic, Aeolic, and Doric.
c. 500–323 BCE
Classical Greek
Attic became especially influential through Athens, drama, philosophy, history, and political prose.
from the late 4th century BCE
Koine Greek
A widely shared form spread after Alexander's conquests and became the language of much Hellenistic and early Christian writing.
Comparison
Ancient vs. Modern Greek
See how pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary changed in Modern Greek.
References
Dates, forms, and pronunciations are concise learning references rather than a substitute for a historical grammar.
- The Unicode Consortium, Greek and Coptic
- Perseus Digital Library, Greek and Roman Materials
- Herbert Weir Smyth, Greek Grammar