Abugida facts for kids

An abugida is a special kind of writing system. It's not quite an alphabet (like English) and not quite a syllabary (where each symbol is a whole syllable). Instead, it's a mix! In an abugida, you write consonants and vowels together as one unit. The consonant is the main part, and the vowels are added on.

This image shows different abugida writing styles that came from the ancient Brahmi script.

What is an Abugida?

In an abugida, each consonant usually comes with a "built-in" vowel sound. This means if you just write a consonant, a specific vowel is automatically pronounced with it. For example, in the Thai language, if you see the consonant "ห", it's pronounced "hɔ". But if you add a vowel mark to it, like "หา", it changes to "hā".

You use special marks called diacritics to change this built-in vowel or to make it silent. Sometimes, if a vowel starts a syllable or stands alone, you use a separate vowel letter.

What's cool about some abugidas is how they place vowels. Even if you read from left to right, a vowel mark might appear to the right, left, top, or bottom of the consonant it belongs to.

Here's an example using the Thai consonant ก (pronounced "k"):

How is an Abugida Different?

An abugida is different from a true alphabet. In an alphabet, vowels and consonants are equally important. They are all written out separately. An abugida is also different from an abjad. In an abjad, vowels are often left out completely.

Examples of abugidas include the Ge'ez script from Ethiopia. Many languages in places like India also use abugidas. Some types of shorthand writing also use small marks to show vowels.

Where Does the Name "Abugida" Come From?

The name 'abugida' comes from the first four letters of the Ge'ez writing system. Ge'ez is an alphasyllabary, which is another name for an abugida.

Images for kids

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  A 19th-century book written in the Devanagari script, which is an abugida.

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  The Ge'ez script, an abugida used in Eritrea and Ethiopia.

See also

In Spanish: Alfasilabario para niños