ethiopic

Ethiopic, also known as the Ge’ez script, is a writing system used for Ge’ez and several languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is an abugida, in which each symbol generally represents a consonant with a specific associated vowel, and diacritic-like modifications or distinct forms indicate other vowels. The script originated in the Horn of Africa, with earliest inscriptions dating to the early medieval period, and spread through religious and secular literature.

The script consists of a base set of consonants, each of which has a family of forms to denote different vowels. Syllables are typically written as single graphemes, arranged in horizontal lines from left to right. In addition to syllabic letters, the system includes punctuation and numerals derived from traditional Ethiopic numerals. Modern usage employs a variety of fonts and input methods, and the script is supported in digital typography and computing standards.

Ethiopic is used for a number of languages in Ethiopia and Eritrea, most prominently Amharic and Tigrinya, as well as Tigre and Ge’ez (the classical liturgical language of Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches). Beyond daily writing and education, it is employed in government, media, literature, and religious contexts. Variants and extensions of the script accommodate the phonologies of these languages, including specialized consonant-vowel combinations.

Historically, Ethiopic developed from the Ge’ez script and was adapted for multiple languages during the medieval and early modern periods. In modern times, it has been standardized in national curricula and widely encoded in international standards; it is included in Unicode and supported by contemporary fonts and input methods, with extensions to cover a broader range of characters.