The Greek Alphabet Made Easy

The Greek Alphabet Symbols

The purpose of this page is to look at the Greek symbols in the order of recognize-ability, rather than alphabetical order. You will find links to the symbols in alphabetic order at the bottom of the page. It is hoped that by the time the reader gets to the links, the symbols will not seem quite so intimidating, and thus easier to learn in keeping with the theme of this website, The Greek Alphabet Made Easy.

Greek Symbols: Upper Case; Most Like English

I A M N O T Z E B K

Iota Alpha Mu Nu Omicron Tau Zeta Epsilon Beta Kappa

Greek Symbols: Upper Case; False Friends

The Greek Symbols I term false friends are those that are written

like English, but represent a different sound all together. There are

4 of them.

X Y R H

Chi Upsilon Rho Eta

(K) H U RR AY !

The Greek Symbol H ETA

The Greek symbol H is a vowel that in Erasmus's

pronunciation is like the ey in they. It only takes on the /h/

sound as in hoe when it is accompanied by a rough breathing

mark. However, this is where the English H is derived. Can

you see why I call the Greek symbol and English symbol H

false friends?

The Greek Symbol P RHO

The Greek symbol P is not equivalent to the English symbol P

as you might well think, but is the letter Rho /ro/ that in Erasmus's

pronunciation is like the r in "right". Some either credit or blame

Constantine (depending on your perspective of the man) for the

transformation of the symbol P into R by virtue of his vision of the

chrismon where a cross came down from the letter Rho which

make up the first two letters of the Greek term Christos, the Greek

term for Messiah, which is XP (Chi Rho). It is now used as the

pharmacy symbol. In modern Greek the P is trilled.
The Greek Symbol Y UPSILON

The Greek symbol Y is where we get the English letters U, V,

W, and Y. Howeverl in Erasmus's pronunciation it is only like the

"u" in "tune". It only takes on the /h/ sound as in hoe when it is

accompanied by a rough breathing mark. However, this is where

the English H is derived. Can you see why I call the Greek symbol

and English symbol H false friends?

The Greek Symbol X CHI

The Greek symbol X CHI is a voiceless uvular fricative that

sounds like the "ch" in the German word Achtung. It is a false

friend because even though it looks exactly like the English X, its

sound is very different. The Greek symbol X is used in ancient

Spanish for the same sound that they now use for the letter j, which

they call jota. The sound is like a rough "h" sound. Texas was an

old Spanish word for scissors, now called tijeras. In old Spanish,

Texas was pronounce kind of like tehas /te xas/. Now this symbol

is used in the IPA for the original Spanish sound of X, not the way

it is used in English today.

Sigma Gamma Delta Theta

Lambda Psi Omega

Greek Symbols: Upper Case; Used in the Disciplines

Math

The Greek Symbol Σ

The Greek Symbol Sigma (Σ) is used in the physics theory of relativity as advanced by Alfred Einstein. The original formula that many now refer to as E=MC squared was originally

sigma equals em cee squared. Σ = MCsquared

The Greek Symbol Γ

The Greek Symbol gamma (Γ) is used in physics for

representing a third kind of radioactivity called gamma radiation.

Gamma rays can be particularly harmful especially for people like

Bill Bixby.

The Greek Symbol Δ

The Greek Symbol Delta (Δ) is used in calculus to calculate

differential equations. It can also be recognized as the symbol

for Delta Airlines. It is in the form of an isosceles triangle

where the base angles are equal. This is what farmers' wives

used to clang to call their husbands in for supper.

The Greek Symbol Θ

The Greek Symbol theta (Θ) is used in health science for a

form of meditation and healing. It looks like the English letter

O with a small capital "H" inside it.

The Greek Symbol Λ

The Greek Symbol Lambda (Λ) is used in physics for

certain logarithmic formulas. It looks like an English capital

"A" without the crossbar.

The Greek Symbol Ψ

The Greek Symbol Psi is used as (Ψ) the symbol for

psychology. It looks like a trident.

The Greek Symbol Ω

The Greek Symbol Omega (Ω) is used in nutrition to

represent a certain kind of fatty acids. It looks kind of like an

upside-down horse shoe.

Pi Ksi (Xi or Ksee)

Greek Symbols: Upper Case; Not Yet Mentioned

         The Greek Symbol Π PI

     The Greek Symbol Π PI which is better recognized by its lower case counter part used for finding the area of a circle. Notice how it looks like a door way.

         The Greek Symbol Ξ KSI or XI

     The Greek Symbol Ξ KSI or XI looks like the Chinese number

3 or 3 shelves on a wall where the middle shelf is . It sounds like the voiceless English letter "X". Unlike English, it can occur at the beginning of a word and still be voiceless.

Greek Symbols: Lower Case;

Most Like English

The Greek Symbol o OMICRON

The Greek Symbol O OMICRON looks just like its English

equivalent and is a smaller version of its upper case counter part.

Omicron means small O and Omega means great O. Originally

Omega was the upper case Greek O and Omicron was the lower

case. Later they were split up so that Omega had its own lower

case counter part and Omicron had its own upper case counter

part, making 2 distinct letters.

The Greek Symbol α alpha

The Greek Symbol α alpha is very similar if not exactly like

its English equivilant a. It's probably closer to the cursive

form of English a.

The Greek Symbol ς Word-Final Sigma

The Greek Symbol ς word-final sigma is very similar to,

though not exactly like its English equivalent s. I say word-

final because this form is only found at the end of a word.

Whenever sigma is at the end of the word, it takes this form.

The only differences between this symbol and the English s is

that the lower part is smaller and under the line. There is

another lower case form, which will be dealt with later on.

          The Greek Symbol ι iota

     The Greek Symbol ι iota looks like an undotted English i.

          The Greek Symbol ε epsilon

     The Greek Symbol ε epsilon looks like an

unfinished English e. In another font, there is a

symbol that looks even more like an unfinished e with

the right corner erased.

Greek Symbols: Lower Case;

Most Like Upper Case

The Greek Symbol K kappa

The Greek Symbol K kappa looks just like its upper case

counter part. Notice how it varies from the English lower

case k. The spine of the Greek letter does not extend upward

to the extent that the English letter does.

The Greek Symbol T tau

The Greek Symbol T tau looks just like its upper case

counter part. Notice how it varies from the English lower

case k. The spine of the Greek letter does not extend upward

to the extent that the English letter does.

Greek Symbols: Lower Case;

Somewhat Like Upper Case

           The Greek Symbol β beta

     The Greek Symbol β beta looks like a smaller version of its

upper case counter part except that its spine descended

somewhat so that there is a bit of a tale below the line and the

upper extension of the spine has disappeared.

               The Greek Symbol ρ rho

     The Greek Symbol ρ rholooks like a smaller version of its upper case counter part except that its spine descended somewhat so that there is a bit of a tale below the line and the upper extension of the spine has disappeared. Notice how it looks like a beta withou its upper circle.

          The Greek Symbol ϕ phi

     The Greek Symbol ϕ phi looks like a smaller version of its

upper case counter part except that its spine descended

somewhat so that there is a bit of a tale below the line and the

circle has descended to the line. Notice how it looks

somewhat like a null set symbol.

          The Greek Symbol ψ psi
     The Greek Symbol ψ psi looks like a smaller version of its upper case counter part except that the u part descended somewhat so that there is a bit of a tale below the line.

          The Greek Symbol χ chi

     The Greek Symbol χ chi looks like a smaller version of its upper case counter part except that it descended so that half of it is below the line. Don't let it fool you. This is not the equivalent of the English letter x. It makes a gutteral sound like the ch in German achtung.

Greek Symbols: Lower Case;

Used in the Disciplines

          The Greek Symbol π pi

     The Greek Symbol π pi is used in geometry. Notice how it looks like a small doorway

          The Greek Symbol δ delta

     The Greek Symbol δ delta is used in calculus to represent

differential and looks like a cobra getting ready to strike. It

used to have a closer English equivalent called Edh, which

made the sound of th in the. It is very similar to the symbol

used in the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) to represent

the same th sound.

The Greek Symbol μ mu

The Greek Symbol μ mu is used in microbiology. Notice

how it looks like a u with an extra spine on its left side that

extends under the imaginary line.

The Greek Symbol σ sigma

The Greek Symbol σ sigma is used in the mathematical

formulas to represent th standard deviation.

Greek Symbols: Lower Case; Used in the IPA

(International Phonetic Alphabet)

The Greek Symbol α alpha

The Greek Symbol α alpha is used for the front low lax

vowel for the sound of "A" as in Albert.

The Greek Symbol ι iota

The Greek Symbol ι iota is used for the front high lax vowel

for the sound of i as in it.

The Greek Symbol ε epsilon

The Greek Symbol ε epsilon is used for the front mid lax

vowel for the sound of e as in egg.

The Greek Symbol υ upsilon

The Greek Symbol υ upsilon is used for the back high lax

vowel for the sound of u as in put. Notice how it looks like the

English lower case spineless u.

The Greek Symbol β beta

The Greek Symbol β beta is used for the voiced bilabial

fricative consonant for the Spanish sound of b as in haber.

English does not have this sound. It's made with the voiced

vibration of the lips.

The Greek Symbol γ gamma

The Greek Symbol γ gamma is used for the voiced uvular

fricative consonant for the Spanish sound of g as in agua.

English does not have this sound. It's made with the voiced

vibration of the uvula in the back of the throat with the back of

the tongue.

The Greek Symbol θ theta

The Greek Symbol θ theta is used for the voiceless

interdental fricative consonant for the sound of th as in math.

English does not have this sound. It's made with the voice-

less passing of the air between the tongue and the teeth.

The Greek Symbol φ phi

The Greek Symbol φ phi is used for the voiceless bilabial

fricative consonant for the sound of ph as in the Greek, not

English word photo. English does not have this sound. It's

made with the voiceless passing of the air between the lips.

The Greek Symbol χ chi

The Greek Symbol χ chi is used for the voiceless bilabial

fricative consonant for the sound of ch as in the Scottish ch in

the word loch, English does not have this sound. It's made

with the voiceless passing of the air between the uvula and

the back of the tongue.

Greek Symbols: Least Recognizable;

Descriptions

The Greek Symbol ζ zeta

The Greek Symbol ζ zeta looks like a word final ς sigma

with an extra curl on top. It can also look like a girls curled

hair.

The Greek Symbol η eta

The Greek Symbol η eta looks like a lower case English

printed n where the looped line of the letter extends below the

bottom line of text.

The Greek Symbol λ lambda

The Greek Symbol λ lambda looks like a lower case

English printed upside down small English letter "y"where the

whole letter is on or above the line.

Greek Symbols: Links

Are you in a Fraternity or Sorority? Would you like Greek Alphabet Jewelry to go with the name of your group? Choose from the symbols below. Click on them and purchase them from Amazon.com. All capital letters are represented.