Felkiáltójel

Felkiáltójel is a punctuation mark used in Hungarian to indicate strong emotion, emphasis, or imperative mood. The symbol is written as the exclamation mark (!) and is placed directly after the last word or sign of a sentence. It is employed at the end of exclamatory sentences, after interjections, and after direct speech when the utterance is exclaimed. In quotation marks, the exclamation mark follows the quoted text if the exclamation applies to it.

Etymology: The name felkiáltójel comes from felkiáltás meaning an exclamation and jel meaning sign; together they denote a sign that signals a shout or strong feeling.

Usage in Hungarian orthography: It signals exclamations, wishes, warnings, or commands. It is used at the end of sentences and can appear with direct speech in quotes. In complex sentences, a sentence that is both interrogative and exclamatory can take a combining punctuation such as ?! or !? in informal style, whereas formal Hungarian typically favors a single exclamation.

Typography and rules: There is no space before the exclamation mark. When the exclamation applies to a quoted utterance, the mark is placed inside the quotation marks.

Other contexts: In mathematics and computing, the exclamation mark has other uses. In mathematics, n! denotes the factorial function. In many programming languages, ! is the logical negation operator. The symbol itself is Unicode U+0021.

History: The exclamation mark appeared in early modern European typography as a way to indicate emphasis; its exact origin is uncertain and has varied by language and era.