Ethiopic or Ge’ez (ግዕዝ) Alphabet
and transliteration to Latin & International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)Ge’ez (the script) is an ancient African script that originated as an abjad (consonant-only alphabet) and – though it is now used for writing several languages in Eritrea and Ethiopia, including the closely related languages of Tigre, Tigrinya and Amharic – it was originally used to write it’s pre-Christian, namesake language, ልሳነ ግዕዝ, which currently survives only as the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
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Examples in American English to the pronunciations of the 7 orders of the አ syllabary group using phonetic values as indicated in Merriam-Webster:
-
- አ as in the first phoneme of the word “uncle” (ˈəŋ-kəl);
- ኡ as in the first phoneme of the prefix “über” (ü-bər);
- ኢ as in the first phoneme of the word “eager” (ˈē-gər);
- ኣ as in the first phoneme of the word “olive” (ˈä-liv);
- ኤ as in the first phoneme of the word “apron” (ˈā-prən);
- እ as in the first phoneme of the word “inner” (ˈi-nər); and
- ኦ as in the first phoneme of the word “offer” (ˈȯ-fər ).
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Classical Ethiopic (Gəʿəz) in its abugida order
Modern Gəʿəz including letters used in other languages
Latin |
ä (æ) |
u (u) |
i (i) |
a (aː) |
e (e) |
ə (ɨ) |
o (o) |
wa (waː) |
jä (jæ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| h (h) | ሀ | ሁ | ሂ | ሃ | ሄ | ህ | ሆ | ||
| l (l) | ለ | ሉ | ሊ | ላ | ሌ | ል | ሎ | ሏ | |
| ḥ (ħ) | ሐ | ሑ | ሒ | ሓ | ሔ | ሕ | ሖ | ሗ | |
| m (m) | መ | ሙ | ሚ | ማ | ሜ | ም | ሞ | ሟ | ፙ |
| ś (ɬ) | ሠ | ሡ | ሢ | ሣ | ሤ | ሥ | ሦ | ሧ | |
| r (r) | ረ | ሩ | ሪ | ራ | ሬ | ር | ሮ | ሯ | ፘ |
| s (s) | ሰ | ሱ | ሲ | ሳ | ሴ | ስ | ሶ | ሷ | |
| q (k’) | ቀ | ቁ | ቂ | ቃ | ቄ | ቅ | ቆ | ቋ | |
| b (b) | በ | ቡ | ቢ | ባ | ቤ | ብ | ቦ | ቧ | |
| t (t) | ተ | ቱ | ቲ | ታ | ቴ | ት | ቶ | ቷ | |
| h̬ (χ) | ኀ | ኁ | ኂ | ኃ | ኄ | ኅ | ኆ | ኋ | |
| n (n) | ነ | ኑ | ኒ | ና | ኔ | ን | ኖ | ኗ | |
| ‘ (ʔ) | አ | ኡ | ኢ | ኣ | ኤ | እ | ኦ | ኧ | |
| k (k) | ከ | ኩ | ኪ | ካ | ኬ | ክ | ኮ | ኳ | |
| w (w) | ወ | ዉ | ዊ | ዋ | ዌ | ው | ዎ | ||
| ʿ (ʕ) | ዐ | ዑ | ዒ | ዓ | ዔ | ዕ | ዖ | ||
| z (z) | ዘ | ዙ | ዚ | ዛ | ዜ | ዝ | ዞ | ዟ | |
| y (j) | የ | ዩ | ዪ | ያ | ዬ | ይ | ዮ | ||
| d (d) | ደ | ዱ | ዲ | ዳ | ዴ | ድ | ዶ | ዷ | |
| g (ɡ) | ገ | ጉ | ጊ | ጋ | ጌ | ግ | ጎ | ጓ | |
| ṭ (t’) | ጠ | ጡ | ጢ | ጣ | ጤ | ጥ | ጦ | ጧ | |
| p̣ (p’) | ጰ | ጱ | ጲ | ጳ | ጴ | ጵ | ጶ | ጷ | |
| ṣ (t͡s’) | ጸ | ጹ | ጺ | ጻ | ጼ | ጽ | ጾ | ጿ | |
| ṣ́ (tɬʼ) | ፀ | ፁ | ፂ | ፃ | ፄ | ፅ | ፆ | ||
| f (f) | ፈ | ፉ | ፊ | ፋ | ፌ | ፍ | ፎ | ፏ | ፚ |
| p (p) | ፐ | ፑ | ፒ | ፓ | ፔ | ፕ | ፖ | ፗ | |
| qw (kʷˈ) | ቈ | ቊ | ቋ | ቌ | ቍ | ||||
| h̬w (χʷ) | ኈ | ኊ | ኋ | ኌ | ኍ | ||||
| gw (ɡʷ) | ጐ | ጒ | ጓ | ጔ | ጕ | ||||
| kw (kʷ) | ኰ | ኲ | ኳ | ኴ | ኵ | ||||
| š (ʃ) | ሸ | ሹ | ሺ | ሻ | ሼ | ሽ | ሾ | ሿ | |
| qʰ (q) | ቐ | ቑ | ቒ | ቓ | ቔ | ቕ | ቖ | ||
| qʰʷ (qʷ) | ቘ | ቚ | ቛ | ቜ | ቝ | ||||
| v (v) | ቨ | ቩ | ቪ | ቫ | ቬ | ቭ | ቮ | ቯ | |
| č (t͡ʃ) | ቸ | ቹ | ቺ | ቻ | ቼ | ች | ቾ | ቿ | |
| (ŋʷ) | ⶓ | ⶔ | ⶕ | ⶖ | |||||
| ñ (ɲ) | ኘ | ኙ | ኛ | ኜ | ኝ | ኞ | ኟ | ||
| x (x) | ኸ | ኹ | ኺ | ኻ | ኼ | ኽ | ኾ | ||
| xʷ (xʷ) | ዀ | ዂ | ዃ | ዄ | ዅ | ||||
| ž (ʒ) | ዠ | ዡ | ዢ | ዣ | ዤ | ዥ | ዦ | ዧ | |
| ǧ (d͡ʒ) | ጀ | ጁ | ጂ | ጃ | ጄ | ጅ | ጆ | ጇ | |
| (ŋ) | ጘ | ጙ | ጚ | ጛ | ጜ | ጝ | ጞ | ጟ | |
| č̣ (t͡ʃ’) | ጨ | ጩ | ጪ | ጫ | ጬ | ጭ | ጮ | ጯ |
Numbers (1-9)
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
| ፩ | ፪ | ፫ | ፬ | ፭ | ፮ | ፯ | ፰ | ፱ |
| *አሐዱ | *ክልኤቱ | *ሠለስቱ | አርባዕቱ | ኀምስቱ | ስድስቱ | ሰብዐቱ | ሰማንቱ | ተስዐቱ |
| *(ʾäḥädu) | *(kəlʾetu) | *(śälästu) | (ʾärbaʿtu) | (ḫämsətu) | (sədsətu) | (säbʿätu) | (sämantu) | (täsʿätu) |
|
Notes: *As ordinal numbers, they’re pronounced: ቀዳሚ (ḳädami); ካልዕ (kalʿ) and; ሠልስ (śäls), respectively. |
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Numbers (decades)
10 |
20 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
60 |
70 |
80 |
90 |
| ፲ | ፳ | ፴ | ፵ | ፶ | ፷ | ፸ | ፹ | ፺ |
| ዐሠርቱ | እስራ | ሠላሳ | አርብዓ | ሃምሳ | ስድሳ | ሰብዓ | ሰማንያ | ተሰዓ |
| (ʿäśärtu) | (ʾəsra) | (śälasa) | (ʾärəbʿa) | (haməsa) | (sədsa) | (säbəʿa) | (sämanəya) | (täsäʿa) |
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Notes: For numbers between the decades: add the prefix “ወ” (wä) [meaning “and”] to the right-most word – i.e. ፲፩ (ʾäśärətu wäʾäḥädu) for 10 and 1, equaling 11. |
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Numbers (zero, century and beyond)
[0] |
100 |
1,000 |
10,000 |
100,000 |
1,000,000 |
| ፻ | ፼ | ፻፻ | ፲፻፻ | ፻፻፻ | |
| አልቦ | ምዕት | አሠርቱ ምዕት | እልፍ | አሠርቱ እልፍ | አእላፋት |
| (ʾälbo) | (məʿt) | (ʾäśärətu məʿt) | (ʾləf) | (ʾäśärətu ʾləf) | (ʾäʾəlafat) |
|
Notes: For numbers between 100-1,000: add the prefix “ወ” (wä) [meaning “and”] to the right-most word – i.e. ፻፲፩ (məʿt ʾäśärətu wäʾäḥädu) for 100+10+1, equaling 111. |
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Calendar Days
መዓልቲ (mäʿalti) Day |
Etymology |
|
| እሑድ1 (ʾəhud) | Sunday | “first / first day of the week” from the root አሐደ (ähädä) one |
| ሰኑይ (sänuy) | Monday | “the second day of the week” from ሳንይ (sanəy) the next day / the day after |
| ሠሉስ (sälus) | Tuesday | “the third day of the week” from the root ሠለሰ (śäläsä) triple / do for a third time |
| ረቡዕ (räbuʿ) | Wednesday | “the fourth day of the week” from the root ረብዐ (räbbʿä) make/form four |
| ኀሙስ (ḫämus) | Thursday | “the fifth day of the week” from the root ኀመሰ (ḫämäsä) make five |
| ዓርብ (ʿarb) | Friday | “eve of Sabbath / the sixth day” from the root ዐርበ/ዐረበ (ärbä/äräbä) set [setting of the sun/heavenly bodies] |
| ቀዳም (qädam) | Saturday | “Sabbath” from the root ቀደመ (qädämä) come before / precede [precede the first day of the week] |
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Notes: 1 ሠንበት (senbet) Sabbath [“Christian Sabbath” in this two-day Sabbatarianism] / week; እሑድ ሰንበት (ʾəhud senbet) first day of the week – “appropriate [to be] idle” from the roots ሠነየ (śänäyä) + ቤት/በየተ (bet/bäyätä). |
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Calendar Months
ወርሒ (warḥi) |
Gregorian |
Etymology4 |
Agricultural Practice(s) |
|
መስከረም (mäskäräm) |
September 11/12 |
from መስየ (mäsyä) evening [late, timewise] + ከረመ (kärämä) spend the rainy season/winter – መስከረም (mäskäräm) after the rainy season is over. | Waiting to sow seeds until after the rainy season can provide a more controlled environment for germination and seedling establishment. |
|
ጥቅምቲ (ṭəqmti) |
October 11/12 |
from ጠቀመ (ṭäqämä) sew/stitch/repair – ጥቅምቲ (ṭəqmti) that is sewed, stitched or repaired | Soil preparation optimizes the environment for plant growth. This includes removing debris, ploughing, adding organic matter, etc. |
|
ሕዳር (ḥdar) |
November 10/11 |
from ኀደረ (ḫädärä) stay overnight – ማኅደር (maḫədär) resting place | Seeds are planted and left in place to germinate. |
|
ታሕሳስ (taḥsas) |
December 10/11 |
from ኈሠሠ (ḫwäśäśä) sweep | Weed control is typically done within the first few weeks after sowing, with many farmers focusing on weeding within 3-4 weeks after planting. |
|
ጥሪ (ṭri) |
January 9/10 |
from ጠሀረ (ṭähärä) be pure – ጥሁር (ṭəhur) pure/purified [ጥርሑ1 (ṭrḥu) bare] | Threshing (typically with a flail) and winnowing is done to ensure the grain is clean and free from inedible parts. |
|
ለካቲት (lakätit) |
February 8/9 |
from ኀጠ/ኀጠጠ (ḫäṭṭä/ḫäṭäṭä) be small – ለ (lä) for + ኅጠት (ḫəṭṭät) grain; seed | Around this time farmers collect and store the first cut of እክል (ʾəkl) [እኽሊ1 (ʾəḱli)] grain/produce of the field. |
|
መጋቢት (mägabit) |
March 10 |
from ገብአ (gäbʾä) return / be restored – ምግባእ (məgbäʾ) returning / refuge / gathering place | Regeneration or “cut-and-grow-again.” [መገበ/መግቢ1 (mägäbä/mägbi) feed/food]. |
|
ሚያዝያ (miyazya) |
April 9 |
from ውሕዘ (wəḥzä) flow (stream water) – ሙሓዝ (muḥaz) place where water flows | ሙሓዘ ማይ (muḥāza māy) channel/aqueduct | Ensure availability of nearby freshwater source(s) and build irrigation channels for a reliable and sustainable supply of water. |
|
ግንቦት (gənbot) |
May 5 |
from ግንባት (gənbat) vessel of skin – ገንቦ2 (gänbo) clay pot | Use of vessels to transport water from the nearest freshwater source to water as needed, giving extra to fruit bearing plants. |
|
ሰነ (sänä) |
June 6 |
from ሠነየ (śänäyä) be beautiful/excellent – ሠናይ (śännay) beautiful/delightful | Blooming and bearing of fruits occur. |
|
ሓምለ (ḥamlä) |
July 8 |
from ሐመለ (ḥämälä) become grassy/green / rich vegetation – ሐምሌ (ḥämle) to blossom / it became green | The land becomes lush and green. |
|
ነሓሰ (näḥasä) |
August 8 |
from ን (n) for + ሐሠየ (ḥäśäyä) rub/friction – ሕሱይ (ḥəsuy) made ready by rubbing | ቆሊ (qoli) [ቆሎ1 (qolo)] parched grains are made ready for consumption by rubbing/chafing off of the skin. |
|
ጳጕሜን (pagumen) |
September 6 |
from επαγόμενος3 (epagómenos) induced [alternatively ፈግዐ/ፍግዑ (fägʿä/fəgʿu) be given to delight / given to pleasure] | Farmers can enjoy the fruits of their labor ahead of the next cycle. |
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Notes: 1 Tigrinya. 2 Amharic. 3 Greek. 4 There are different views on the etymology, some with inconsistent rationale. This version wholly aligns with agricultural practices and Concise Dictionary of Gəʽəz by Wolf Leslau is used as the basis in identifying the proper root in this context. |
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Punctuation Marks
Ge’ez |
Description |
| ፠ | (section mark) |
| ፡ | (word separator) |
| ። | . (full stop) |
| ፣ | , (comma) |
| ፥ | : (colon) |
| ፤ | ; (semi-colon) |
| ፦ | : (preface colon) |
| ፧ | ? (question mark) |
| ፧፧ | (paragraph separator) |
Pronouns
ዋንነታዊ ክንዲ ሥም (wanəntawi kənda səm) possessive pronouns |
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| ተባዕታይ (täbaʿətay) [masculine (the owner is male)] | ||
| ግዕዝ (Ge’ez) | ትግርኛ (Tigrinya) | English |
| ዚአየ (ziʾäyä) | ናይየ (nayəyä) | my, mine |
| ዚአነ (ziʾäna) | ናይና (nayəna) | our, ours |
| ዚአከ (ziʾäka) | ናይካ (nayəka) | your, yours (masc.) |
| ዚአኪ (ziʾäki) | ናይኪ (nayəki) | your, yours (fem.) |
| ዚአክሙ (ziʾäkəw) | ናይኩም (nayəkum) | your, yours (pl. masc.) |
| ዚአክን (ziʾäkən) | ናይክን (nayəkn) | your, yours (pl fem.) |
| ዚአሁ (ziʾähu) | ናይኡ (nayəu) | his |
| ዚአሃ (ziʾäha) | ናይኣ (nayəa) | her, hers |
| ዚአሆሙ (ziʾähow) | ናዮም (nayom) | their, theirs (masc.) |
| ዚአሆን (ziʾähon) | ናየን (nayän) | their, theirs (fem.) |
| አንስታይ (anəstiy) [feminine (the owner is female)] | ||
| ግዕዝ (Ge’ez) | ትግርኛ (Tigrinya) | English |
| እንቲአየ (ʾəntiʾäyä) | ናተይ (natäy) | my, mine |
| እንቲአነ (ʾəntiʾänä) | ናትና (natəna) | our, ours |
| እንአከ (ʾənʾäkä) | ናትካ (natəka) | your, yours (masc.) |
| እንቲአኪ (ʾəntiʾäki) | ናትኪ (natəki) | your, yours (fem.) |
| እንቲአክሙ (ʾəntiʾäkəmu) | ናትኩም (natəkum) | your, yours (pl. masc.) |
| እንቲአክን (ʾəntiʾäkən) | ናትክን (natəkn) | your, yours (pl. fem.) |
| እንቲአሁ (ʾəntiʾähu) | ናቱ (natu) | his |
| እንቲአሃ (ʾəntiʾäha) | ናታ (nata) | her, hers |
| እንቲአሆሙ (ʾəntiʾähomu) | ናቶም (natom) | their, theirs (masc.) |
| እንቲአሆን (ʾəntiʾähon) | ናተን (natän) | their, theirs (fem.) |
| ብዙሕ (bzuh) [plural (the owner is more than one)] | ||
| ግዕዝ (Ge’ez) | ትግርኛ (Tigrinya) | English |
| እሊአየ (ʾəliʾäyä) | ናየይ፣ናተይ (nayäy | natäy) | my, mine |
| እሊአነ (ʾəliʾänä) | ናይና፣ናትና (nayna | natəna) | our, ours |
| እሊአከ (ʾəliʾäkä) | ናይካ፣ናትካ (nayəka | natəka) | your, yours (masc.) |
| እሊአኪ (ʾəliʾäki) | ናይኪ፣ናትካ (nayəki | natəka) | your, yours (fem.) |
| እሊአክሙ (ʾəliʾäyäkəmu) | ናይኩም፣ናትኩም (nayəkum | natəkum) | your, yours (pl. masc.) |
| እሊአክን (ʾəliʾäyäkən) | ናይክን፣ናትክን (nayəkən | natəkən) | your, yours (pl. fem.) |
| እሊአሁ (ʾəliʾähu) | ናይኡ፣ናቱ (nayʾu | natu) | his |
| እሊአሃ (ʾəliʾäha) | ናይኣ፣ናታ (nayʾa | nata) | her, hers |
| እሊአሆሙ (ʾəliʾähomu) | ናይኦም፣ናቶም (nayʾom | natom) | their, theirs (masc.) |
| እሊአሆን (ʾəliʾähon) | ናይአን፣ናተን (nayʾän | natän) | their, theirs (fem.) |
Classical Ethiopic (Gəʿəz) in its abugida order
Modern Gəʿəz including letters used in other languages
Latin |
ä (æ) |
u (u) |
i (i) |
a (aː) |
e (e) |
ə (ɨ) |
o (o) |
wa (waː) |
jä (jæ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| h (h) | ሀ | ሁ | ሂ | ሃ | ሄ | ህ | ሆ | ||
| l (l) | ለ | ሉ | ሊ | ላ | ሌ | ል | ሎ | ሏ | |
| ḥ (ħ) | ሐ | ሑ | ሒ | ሓ | ሔ | ሕ | ሖ | ሗ | |
| m (m) | መ | ሙ | ሚ | ማ | ሜ | ም | ሞ | ሟ | ፙ |
| ś (ɬ) | ሠ | ሡ | ሢ | ሣ | ሤ | ሥ | ሦ | ሧ | |
| r (r) | ረ | ሩ | ሪ | ራ | ሬ | ር | ሮ | ሯ | ፘ |
| s (s) | ሰ | ሱ | ሲ | ሳ | ሴ | ስ | ሶ | ሷ | |
| q (k’) | ቀ | ቁ | ቂ | ቃ | ቄ | ቅ | ቆ | ቋ | |
| b (b) | በ | ቡ | ቢ | ባ | ቤ | ብ | ቦ | ቧ | |
| t (t) | ተ | ቱ | ቲ | ታ | ቴ | ት | ቶ | ቷ | |
| h̬ (χ) | ኀ | ኁ | ኂ | ኃ | ኄ | ኅ | ኆ | ኋ | |
| n (n) | ነ | ኑ | ኒ | ና | ኔ | ን | ኖ | ኗ | |
| ‘ (ʔ) | አ | ኡ | ኢ | ኣ | ኤ | እ | ኦ | ኧ | |
| k (k) | ከ | ኩ | ኪ | ካ | ኬ | ክ | ኮ | ኳ | |
| w (w) | ወ | ዉ | ዊ | ዋ | ዌ | ው | ዎ | ||
| ʿ (ʕ) | ዐ | ዑ | ዒ | ዓ | ዔ | ዕ | ዖ | ||
| z (z) | ዘ | ዙ | ዚ | ዛ | ዜ | ዝ | ዞ | ዟ | |
| y (j) | የ | ዩ | ዪ | ያ | ዬ | ይ | ዮ | ||
| d (d) | ደ | ዱ | ዲ | ዳ | ዴ | ድ | ዶ | ዷ | |
| g (ɡ) | ገ | ጉ | ጊ | ጋ | ጌ | ግ | ጎ | ጓ | |
| ṭ (t’) | ጠ | ጡ | ጢ | ጣ | ጤ | ጥ | ጦ | ጧ | |
| p̣ (p’) | ጰ | ጱ | ጲ | ጳ | ጴ | ጵ | ጶ | ጷ | |
| ṣ (t͡s’) | ጸ | ጹ | ጺ | ጻ | ጼ | ጽ | ጾ | ጿ | |
| ṣ́ (tɬʼ) | ፀ | ፁ | ፂ | ፃ | ፄ | ፅ | ፆ | ||
| f (f) | ፈ | ፉ | ፊ | ፋ | ፌ | ፍ | ፎ | ፏ | ፚ |
| p (p) | ፐ | ፑ | ፒ | ፓ | ፔ | ፕ | ፖ | ፗ | |
| qw (kʷˈ) | ቈ | ቊ | ቋ | ቌ | ቍ | ||||
| h̬w (χʷ) | ኈ | ኊ | ኋ | ኌ | ኍ | ||||
| gw (ɡʷ) | ጐ | ጒ | ጓ | ጔ | ጕ | ||||
| kw (kʷ) | ኰ | ኲ | ኳ | ኴ | ኵ | ||||
| š (ʃ) | ሸ | ሹ | ሺ | ሻ | ሼ | ሽ | ሾ | ሿ | |
| qʰ (q) | ቐ | ቑ | ቒ | ቓ | ቔ | ቕ | ቖ | ||
| qʰʷ (qʷ) | ቘ | ቚ | ቛ | ቜ | ቝ | ||||
| v (v) | ቨ | ቩ | ቪ | ቫ | ቬ | ቭ | ቮ | ቯ | |
| č (t͡ʃ) | ቸ | ቹ | ቺ | ቻ | ቼ | ች | ቾ | ቿ | |
| (ŋʷ) | ⶓ | ⶔ | ⶕ | ⶖ | |||||
| ñ (ɲ) | ኘ | ኙ | ኛ | ኜ | ኝ | ኞ | ኟ | ||
| x (x) | ኸ | ኹ | ኺ | ኻ | ኼ | ኽ | ኾ | ||
| xʷ (xʷ) | ዀ | ዂ | ዃ | ዄ | ዅ | ||||
| ž (ʒ) | ዠ | ዡ | ዢ | ዣ | ዤ | ዥ | ዦ | ዧ | |
| ǧ (d͡ʒ) | ጀ | ጁ | ጂ | ጃ | ጄ | ጅ | ጆ | ጇ | |
| (ŋ) | ጘ | ጙ | ጚ | ጛ | ጜ | ጝ | ጞ | ጟ | |
| č̣ (t͡ʃ’) | ጨ | ጩ | ጪ | ጫ | ጬ | ጭ | ጮ | ጯ |
Numbers (1-9)
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
| ፩ | ፪ | ፫ | ፬ | ፭ | ፮ | ፯ | ፰ | ፱ |
| *አሐዱ | *ክልኤቱ | *ሠለስቱ | አርባዕቱ | ኀምስቱ | ስድስቱ | ሰብዐቱ | ሰማንቱ | ተስዐቱ |
| *(ʾäḥädu) | *(kəlʾetu) | *(śälästu) | (ʾärbaʿtu) | (ḫämsətu) | (sədsətu) | (säbʿätu) | (sämantu) | (täsʿätu) |
| Notes: | ||||||||
| *As ordinal numbers, they’re pronounced: ቀዳሚ (ḳädami); ካልዕ (kalʿ) and; ሠልስ (śäls), respectively. | ||||||||
Numbers (decades)
10 |
20 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
60 |
70 |
80 |
90 |
| ፲ | ፳ | ፴ | ፵ | ፶ | ፷ | ፸ | ፹ | ፺ |
| ዐሠርቱ | እስራ | ሠላሳ | አርብዓ | ሃምሳ | ስድሳ | ሰብዓ | ሰማንያ | ተሰዓ |
| (ʿäśärtu) | (ʾəsra) | (śälasa) | (ʾärəbʿa) | (haməsa) | (sədsa) | (säbəʿa) | (sämanəya) | (täsäʿa) |
| Notes: | ||||||||
| For numbers between the decades: add the prefix “ወ” (wä) [meaning “and”] to the right-most word – i.e. ፲፩ (ʾäśärətu wäʾäḥädu) for 10 and 1, equaling 11 | ||||||||
Numbers (zero, century and beyond)
[0] |
100 |
1,000 |
10,000 |
100,000 |
1,000,000 |
| ፻ | ፼ | ፻፻ | ፲፻፻ | ፻፻፻ | |
| አልቦ | ምዕት | አሠርቱ ምዕት | እልፍ | አሠርቱ እልፍ | አእላፋት |
| (ʾälbo) | (məʿt) | (ʾäśärətu məʿt) | (ʾləf) | (ʾäśärətu ʾləf) | (ʾäʾəlafat) |
| Notes: | |||||
| For numbers between 100-1,000: add the prefix “ወ” (wä) [meaning “and”] to the right-most word – i.e. ፻፲፩ (məʿt ʾäśärətu wäʾäḥädu) for 100+10+1, equaling 111 | |||||
Calendar Days
መዓልቲ (mäʿalti) Day |
Etymology |
|
| እሑድ1 (ʾəhud) | Sunday | “first / first day of the week” from the root አሐደ (ähädä) one |
| ሰኑይ (sänuy) | Monday | “the second day of the week” from ሳንይ (sanəy) the next day / the day after |
| ሠሉስ (sälus) | Tuesday | “the third day of the week” from the root ሠለሰ (śäläsä) triple / do for a third time |
| ረቡዕ (räbuʿ) | Wednesday | “the fourth day of the week” from the root ረብዐ (räbbʿä) make/form four |
| ኀሙስ (ḫämus) | Thursday | “the fifth day of the week” from the root ኀመሰ (ḫämäsä) make five |
| ዓርብ (ʿarb) | Friday | “eve of Sabbath / the sixth day” from the root ዐርበ/ዐረበ (ärbä/äräbä) set [setting of the sun/heavenly bodies] |
| ቀዳም (qädam) | Saturday | “Sabbath” from the root ቀደመ (qädämä) come before / precede [precede the first day of the week] |
|
Notes: 1 ሠንበት (senbet) Sabbath [“Christian Sabbath” in this two-day Sabbatarianism] / week; እሑድ ሰንበት (ʾəhud senbet) first day of the week – “appropriate [to be] idle” from the roots ሠነየ (śänäyä) + ቤት/በየተ (bet/bäyätä) |
||
Calendar Months
ወርሒ (warḥi) |
Gregorian |
Etymology4 |
Agricultural Practice(s) |
|
መስከረም (mäskäräm) |
September 11/12 |
from መስየ (mäsyä) evening [late, timewise] + ከረመ (kärämä) spend the rainy season/winter – መስከረም (mäskäräm) after the rainy season is over. | Waiting to sow seeds until after the rainy season can provide a more controlled environment for germination and seedling establishment. |
|
ጥቅምቲ (ṭəqmti) |
October 11/12 |
from ጠቀመ (ṭäqämä) sew/stitch/repair – ጥቅምቲ (ṭəqmti) that is sewed, stitched or repaired | Soil preparation optimizes the environment for plant growth. This includes removing debris, ploughing, adding organic matter, etc. |
|
ሕዳር (ḥdar) |
November 10/11 |
from ኀደረ (ḫädärä) stay overnight – ማኅደር (maḫədär) resting place | Seeds are planted and left in place to germinate. |
|
ታሕሳስ (taḥsas) |
December 10/11 |
from ኈሠሠ (ḫwäśäśä) sweep | Weed control is typically done within the first few weeks after sowing, with many farmers focusing on weeding within 3-4 weeks after planting. |
|
ጥሪ (ṭri) |
January 9/10 |
from ጠሀረ (ṭähärä) be pure – ጥሁር (ṭəhur) pure/purified [ጥርሑ1 (ṭrḥu) bare] | Threshing (typically with a flail) and winnowing is done to ensure the grain is clean and free from inedible parts. |
|
ለካቲት (lakätit) |
February 8/9 |
from ኀጠ/ኀጠጠ (ḫäṭṭä/ḫäṭäṭä) be small – ለ (lä) for + ኅጠት (ḫəṭṭät) grain; seed | Around this time farmers collect and store the first cut of እክል (ʾəkl) [እኽሊ1 (ʾəḱli)] grain/produce of the field. |
|
መጋቢት (mägabit) |
March 10 |
from ገብአ (gäbʾä) return / be restored – ምግባእ (məgbäʾ) returning / refuge / gathering place | Regeneration or “cut-and-grow-again.” [መገበ/መግቢ1 (mägäbä/mägbi) feed/food]. |
|
ሚያዝያ (miyazya) |
April 9 |
from ውሕዘ (wəḥzä) flow (stream water) – ሙሓዝ (muḥaz) place where water flows | ሙሓዘ ማይ (muḥāza māy) channel/aqueduct | Ensure availability of nearby freshwater source(s) and build irrigation channels for a reliable and sustainable supply of water. |
|
ግንቦት (gənbot) |
May 5 |
from ግንባት (gənbat) vessel of skin – ገንቦ2 (gänbo) clay pot | Use of vessels to transport water from the nearest freshwater source to water as needed, giving extra to fruit bearing plants. |
|
ሰነ (sänä) |
June 6 |
from ሠነየ (śänäyä) be beautiful/excellent – ሠናይ (śännay) beautiful/delightful | Blooming and bearing of fruits occur. |
|
ሓምለ (ḥamlä) |
July 8 |
from ሐመለ (ḥämälä) become grassy/green / rich vegetation – ሐምሌ (ḥämle) to blossom / it became green | The land becomes lush and green. |
|
ነሓሰ (näḥasä) |
August 8 |
from ን (n) for + ሐሠየ (ḥäśäyä) rub/friction – ሕሱይ (ḥəsuy) made ready by rubbing | ቆሊ (qoli) [ቆሎ1 (qolo)] parched grains are made ready for consumption by rubbing/chafing off of the skin. |
|
ጳጕሜን (pagumen) |
September 6 |
from επαγόμενος3 (epagómenos) induced [alternatively ፈግዐ/ፍግዑ (fägʿä/fəgʿu) be given to delight / given to pleasure] | Farmers can enjoy the fruits of their labor ahead of the next cycle. |
|
Notes: 1 Tigrinya 2 Amharic 3 Greek 4 There are different views on the etymology, some with inconsistent rationale. This version wholly aligns with agricultural practices and Concise Dictionary of Gəʽəz by Wolf Leslau is used as the basis in identifying the proper root in this context. |
|||
Punctuation Marks
Ge’ez |
Description |
| ፠ | (section mark) |
| ፡ | (word separator) |
| ። | . (full stop) |
| ፣ | , (comma) |
| ፥ | : (colon) |
| ፤ | ; (semi-colon) |
| ፦ | : (preface colon) |
| ፧ | ? (question mark) |
| ፧፧ | (paragraph separator) |
Pronouns
ዋንነታዊ ክንዲ ሥም (wanəntawi kənda səm) possessive pronouns |
||
| ተባዕታይ (täbaʿətay) [masculine (the owner is male)] | ||
| ግዕዝ (Ge’ez) | ትግርኛ (Tigrinya) | English |
| ዚአየ (ziʾäyä) | ናይየ (nayəyä) | my, mine |
| ዚአነ (ziʾäna) | ናይና (nayəna) | our, ours |
| ዚአከ (ziʾäka) | ናይካ (nayəka) | your, yours (masc.) |
| ዚአኪ (ziʾäki) | ናይኪ (nayəki) | your, yours (fem.) |
| ዚአክሙ (ziʾäkəw) | ናይኩም (nayəkum) | your, yours (pl. masc.) |
| ዚአክን (ziʾäkən) | ናይክን (nayəkn) | your, yours (pl fem.) |
| ዚአሁ (ziʾähu) | ናይኡ (nayəu) | his |
| ዚአሃ (ziʾäha) | ናይኣ (nayəa) | her, hers |
| ዚአሆሙ (ziʾähow) | ናዮም (nayom) | their, theirs (masc.) |
| ዚአሆን (ziʾähon) | ናየን (nayän) | their, theirs (fem.) |
| አንስታይ (anəstiy) [feminine (the owner is female)] | ||
| ግዕዝ (Ge’ez) | ትግርኛ (Tigrinya) | English |
| እንቲአየ (ʾəntiʾäyä) | ናተይ (natäy) | my, mine |
| እንቲአነ (ʾəntiʾänä) | ናትና (natəna) | our, ours |
| እንአከ (ʾənʾäkä) | ናትካ (natəka) | your, yours (masc.) |
| እንቲአኪ (ʾəntiʾäki) | ናትኪ (natəki) | your, yours (fem.) |
| እንቲአክሙ (ʾəntiʾäkəmu) | ናትኩም (natəkum) | your, yours (pl. masc.) |
| እንቲአክን (ʾəntiʾäkən) | ናትክን (natəkn) | your, yours (pl. fem.) |
| እንቲአሁ (ʾəntiʾähu) | ናቱ (natu) | his |
| እንቲአሃ (ʾəntiʾäha) | ናታ (nata) | her, hers |
| እንቲአሆሙ (ʾəntiʾähomu) | ናቶም (natom) | their, theirs (masc.) |
| እንቲአሆን (ʾəntiʾähon) | ናተን (natän) | their, theirs (fem.) |
| ብዙሕ (bzuh) [plural (the owner is more than one)] | ||
| ግዕዝ (Ge’ez) | ትግርኛ (Tigrinya) | English |
| እሊአየ (ʾəliʾäyä) | ናየይ፣ናተይ (nayäy | natäy) | my, mine |
| እሊአነ (ʾəliʾänä) | ናይና፣ናትና (nayna | natəna) | our, ours |
| እሊአከ (ʾəliʾäkä) | ናይካ፣ናትካ (nayəka | natəka) | your, yours (masc.) |
| እሊአኪ (ʾəliʾäki) | ናይኪ፣ናትካ (nayəki | natəka) | your, yours (fem.) |
| እሊአክሙ (ʾəliʾäyäkəmu) | ናይኩም፣ናትኩም (nayəkum | natəkum) | your, yours (pl. masc.) |
| እሊአክን (ʾəliʾäyäkən) | ናይክን፣ናትክን (nayəkən | natəkən) | your, yours (pl. fem.) |
| እሊአሁ (ʾəliʾähu) | ናይኡ፣ናቱ (nayʾu | natu) | his |
| እሊአሃ (ʾəliʾäha) | ናይኣ፣ናታ (nayʾa | nata) | her, hers |
| እሊአሆሙ (ʾəliʾähomu) | ናይኦም፣ናቶም (nayʾom | natom) | their, theirs (masc.) |
| እሊአሆን (ʾəliʾähon) | ናይአን፣ናተን (nayʾän | natän) | their, theirs (fem.) |
