Guillemet facts for kids
Guillemets (pronounced "gee-yuh-mets") are special punctuation marks that look like sideways double arrows, like « and ». They are used as quotation marks in many languages around the world, but you usually won't see them in English. Sometimes, a single guillemet (like ‹ or ›) is used for other purposes.
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What are Guillemets?
Guillemets are also known as angle quotes, Latin quotes, or French quotation marks. They have their own special codes in computer systems, so they can be used correctly.
Where Did the Name Come From?
The word Guillemet comes from a French name, Guillaume, which is like the English name William. It's thought to be named after a French printer and punchcutter named Guillaume Le Bé (1525–1598). Even though he didn't invent them, the name stuck! These symbols first appeared in a book printed in 1527 by Josse Bade. In the Irish language, the word for guillemets, Liamóg, also comes from their word for William, Liam.
How are Guillemets Used?
Guillemets are used in different ways depending on the language. They usually show when someone is speaking or when you are quoting something.
Guillemets Pointing Outwards
In many languages, guillemets point outwards, like «this example», to show direct speech. Here are some of the languages that use them this way:
- Albanian
- Arabic
- Armenian
- Azerbaijani (sometimes also uses "...")
- Belarusian
- Breton
- Bulgarian (less common, "..." is more usual)
- Catalan
- Chinese (《 and 》 are used for book or album titles, not speech)
- Esperanto (usage can vary)
- Estonian (less common, „...“ is more usual)
- Franco-Provençal
- French (often with a small space inside, like « this », except in Switzerland)
- Galician
- Greek
- Italian
- Japanese (《 and 》 are used for book or album titles, not speech)
- North Korean (South Korea uses ")
- Kurdish
- Norwegian
- Persian
- Polish (can be used for a quote inside another quote, but less common)
- Portuguese (mostly in European Portuguese, less common in Brazilian Portuguese)
- Romanian (only for a quote inside another quote)
- Russian and some other languages from the former Soviet Union that use Cyrillic letters.
- Spanish (not common in everyday use, but often used in books and publishing)
- Swiss languages
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
Guillemets Pointing Inwards
Some languages use guillemets pointing inwards, like »this example«, to show speech. Here are some of them:
- Croatian (less common, „...” is more usual)
- Czech (less common, „...“ is more usual)
- Danish (sometimes „...“ is also used)
- German (except in Switzerland; preferred in printed materials, „...“ is preferred in handwriting)
- Hungarian (only used for a quote inside another quote, like „inside a section »as a secondary quote« marked by the usual quotes“)
- Polish (often used for a quote inside another quote)
- Serbian (less common, „...“ is more usual)
- Slovak (less common, „...“ is more usual)
- Slovene (sometimes „...“ and "..." are also used)
- Swedish (less common, ”...” is the usual form)
Guillemets Pointing Right
In a few languages, guillemets point only to the right, like »this example», to show speech.
