Digamma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greek alphabet
Αα	Alpha	Νν	Nu
Ββ	Beta	Ξξ	Xi
Γγ	Gamma	Οο	Omicron
Δδ	Delta	Ππ	Pi
Εε	Epsilon	Ρρ	Rho
Ζζ	Zeta	Σσ	Sigma
Ηη	Eta	Ττ	Tau
Θθ	Theta	Υυ	Upsilon
Ιι	Iota	Φφ	Phi
Κκ	Kappa	Χχ	Chi
Λλ	Lambda	Ψψ	Psi
Μμ	Mu	Ωω	Omega
Other letters
Ϝϝ	Digamma	Ϟϟ	Koppa
Ϛϛ	Stigma	Ϡϡ	Sampi
Ͱͱ	Heta	Ϸϸ	Sho
Ϻϻ	San

Digamma (also called Wau) was an old letter in the Greek alphabet. It looked a lot like the letter "F" that we use today, but it was pronounced like the "w" sound in "water."

People stopped using Digamma around the 5th century BC because the "w" sound disappeared from the Greek language. However, they still used it as a special sign for the number "6" in their system of Greek numerals.

The letter was first called "Wau" because of the "w" sound it made. Later, after the sound was lost, it was called "Digamma." This name means "double Gamma" because it looks like the Greek letter Gamma (Γ) with two extra lines. The Latin letter F also came from Digamma.

See also

In Spanish: Ϝ para niños

Images for kids

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  This old Greek ceramic piece shows a horse and rider. The writing on it includes a Digamma, which is part of the word "wanakti," meaning "to the king."

• 

  Here's the Greek alphabet shown on an ancient pot. You can see a Digamma that looks like a square "C."

• 

  This is a piece of an old papyrus scroll. It shows the number "616," which uses a C-shaped Digamma for the "6."