Greek Alphabet Complete Reference and Transliteration Guide

Overview of the Greek Alphabet

  • The Greek alphabet consists of 24 standard letters used in written Greek and widely adopted across mathematics, science, and linguistics.

  • Each character features a lowercase symbol, an uppercase symbol, an official name, and a corresponding English letter transliteration or sound equivalent.


Greek Alphabet Reference Chart

Detailed Letter Breakdown

  • Alpha

    • Lowercase Symbol: α

    • Uppercase Symbol: A

    • Letter Name: alpha

    • English Transliteration / Sound: a

  • Beta

    • Lowercase Symbol: β

    • Uppercase Symbol: B

    • Letter Name: beta

    • English Transliteration / Sound: b

  • Gamma

    • Lowercase Symbol: γ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Γ

    • Letter Name: gamma

    • English Transliteration / Sound: g, n

  • Delta

    • Lowercase Symbol: δ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Δ

    • Letter Name: delta

    • English Transliteration / Sound: d

  • Epsilon

    • Lowercase Symbol: ε

    • Uppercase Symbol: E

    • Letter Name: epsilon

    • English Transliteration / Sound: e

  • Zeta

    • Lowercase Symbol: ζ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Z

    • Letter Name: zeta

    • English Transliteration / Sound: z, dz

  • Eta

    • Lowercase Symbol: η

    • Uppercase Symbol: H

    • Letter Name: eta

    • English Transliteration / Sound: ē

  • Theta

    • Lowercase Symbol: θ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Θ

    • Letter Name: theta

    • English Transliteration / Sound: th

  • Iota

    • Lowercase Symbol: ι

    • Uppercase Symbol: I

    • Letter Name: iota

    • English Transliteration / Sound: i

  • Kappa

    • Lowercase Symbol: κ

    • Uppercase Symbol: K

    • Letter Name: kappa

    • English Transliteration / Sound: k

  • Lambda

    • Lowercase Symbol: λ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Λ

    • Letter Name: lambda

    • English Transliteration / Sound: l

  • Mu

    • Lowercase Symbol: μ

    • Uppercase Symbol: M

    • Letter Name: mu

    • English Transliteration / Sound: m

  • Nu

    • Lowercase Symbol: ν

    • Uppercase Symbol: N

    • Letter Name: nu

    • English Transliteration / Sound: n

  • Xi

    • Lowercase Symbol: ξ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Ξ

    • Letter Name: xi (ksee)

    • English Transliteration / Sound: x

  • Omicron

    • Lowercase Symbol: o

    • Uppercase Symbol: O

    • Letter Name: omicron

    • English Transliteration / Sound: o

  • Pi

    • Lowercase Symbol: π

    • Uppercase Symbol: Π

    • Letter Name: pi

    • English Transliteration / Sound: p

  • Rho

    • Lowercase Symbol: ρ

    • Uppercase Symbol: P

    • Letter Name: rho

    • English Transliteration / Sound: r, rh

  • Sigma

    • Lowercase Symbol: σ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Σ

    • Letter Name: sigma

    • English Transliteration / Sound: s

  • Tau

    • Lowercase Symbol: τ

    • Uppercase Symbol: T

    • Letter Name: tau

    • English Transliteration / Sound: t

  • Upsilon

    • Lowercase Symbol: υ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Y

    • Letter Name: upsilon

    • English Transliteration / Sound: u, y

  • Phi

    • Lowercase Symbol: φ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Φ

    • Letter Name: phi

    • English Transliteration / Sound: ph

  • Chi

    • Lowercase Symbol: χ

    • Uppercase Symbol: X

    • Letter Name: chi

    • English Transliteration / Sound: ch

  • Psi

    • Lowercase Symbol: ψ

    • Uppercase Symbol: Ψ

    • Letter Name: psi

    • English Transliteration / Sound: ps

  • Omega

    • Lowercase Symbol: ω

    • Uppercase Symbol: Ω

    • Letter Name: omega

    • English Transliteration / Sound: ō

Phonetic and Transliteration Rules

  • Short vs. Long Vowel Notations:

    • Epsilon (ε) corresponds to short e.

    • Eta (η) corresponds to long ē (notated with a macron).

    • Omicron (o) corresponds to short o.

    • Omega (ω) corresponds to long ō (notated with a macron).

    • Alpha (α), Iota (ι), and Upsilon (υ) correspond to variable vowel sounds a, i, and u or y respectively.

  • Dual and Complex Transliterations:

    • Gamma (γ) is transliterated as g, or as n when functioning as a gamma nasal before velar consonants.

    • Zeta (ζ) represents z or dz.

    • Xi (ξ) carries the phonetic pronunciation ksee and is transliterated as x.

    • Rho (ρ) is transliterated as r or rh depending on breath aspiration.

    • Multi-letter English consonant digraphs correspond to specific single Greek letters:

    • Theta (θ / Θ): th

    • Phi (φ / Φ): ph

    • Chi (χ / X): ch

    • Psi (ψ / Ψ): ps