Lessons

Introduction to the Aramaic Alphabet and Scripts

As we have seen in our lessons on the history and background of Aramaic, Aramaic has had a long history. Over that time, the Aramaic Alphabet itself has not changed, but the script used to write Aramaic has changed.

Therefore, a number of different scripts have traditionally been used in Aramaic. In this lesson, we will introduce you to each of them in turn. We will explain what each one is used for, and help you to decide which one(s) are the most appropriate for you. In general, our recommendation is:

Learn the 'Hebrew' Ashuri script first. These are the letters we will be covering over the next few lessons.
If you are interested in the Peshitta Old and/or New Testaments, then learn the Estrangela script (next).
If you are interested in studying the Peshitta New Testament, then learn the Serta script too.

But the main point is... don't be put off by the Aramaic Alphabet. Aramaic only has 22 letters. There are no capitals. No letters are joined together (at least in the Ashuri script). By contrast, English has 26 letters. And 26 more, in the capitals. And there are lots of other letter sounds. And English letters can be joined together. So how hard can Aramaic be, right? :-)

Watch the Video Lesson

Buy a DVD of these lessons on the Aramaic Alphabet (Ashuri script)