Estonian alphabet facts for kids

The Estonian alphabet is a special set of letters used to write the Estonian language. It's mostly based on the Latin alphabet, just like the English alphabet you use every day. However, it also has some unique letters because of its history and connections to the German language.

What Makes the Estonian Alphabet Special?

The Estonian alphabet has 32 letters in total. Many of these letters are the same as the ones you know from English. But there are also four extra letters that are very important in Estonian: Õ, Ä, Ö, and Ü. These letters are placed after W and before X in the Estonian alphabet's order.

The Full Estonian Alphabet Order

Here is the complete order of letters in the Estonian alphabet:

A B (C) D E F G H I J K L M N O P (Q) R S Š Z Ž T U V (W) Õ Ä Ö Ü (X) (Y)

You might notice some letters in parentheses, like (C) or (Q). This means they are not usually used in everyday Estonian words.

Special Estonian Letters

The letters Õ, Ä, Ö, and Ü are unique to Estonian or shared with languages like German and Finnish. They represent sounds that are different from typical English vowel sounds. For example:

• Õ sounds a bit like the "u" in "but" or "fun," but it's pronounced further back in your throat.
• Ä sounds like the "a" in "cat" or "apple."
• Ö sounds like the "i" in "bird" or the "u" in "fur," but with your lips rounded.
• Ü sounds like the "ew" in "few" or the "u" in French "lune," again with rounded lips.

Letters for Borrowed Words

Some letters in the Estonian alphabet are only used when Estonians borrow words from other languages. These include F, Š, Z, and Ž.

• Š sounds like "sh" in "shoe."
• Ž sounds like "s" in "measure" or "j" in French "bonjour."

These letters are placed in specific spots in the alphabet: Š comes after S, Z comes after Š, and Ž comes after Z.

Letters Not Often Used

You might also see the letters C, Q, W, X, and Y in the Estonian alphabet list. However, these letters are almost never used in native Estonian words. They only appear in names or words that come directly from other languages. For example, if an Estonian person's name is "William," it would use the letter W, but you wouldn't find W in a common Estonian word like "tere" (hello).

See also

• In Spanish: Ortografía del estonio para niños