M facts for kids
Quick facts for kids M |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| M m | |||
| Usage | |||
| Writing system | Latin script | ||
| Type | Alphabetic and Logographic | ||
| Language of origin | Latin language | ||
| Unicode value | U+004D, U+006D |
||
| Alphabetical position | 13 Numerical value: 1000 |
||
| History | |||
| Development |
|
||
| Time period | c. 700 BCE to present | ||
| Descendants |
|
||
| Sisters | |||
| Other | |||
| Other letters commonly used with | m(x) | ||
| Associated numbers | 1000 | ||
 |
| ISO basic Latin alphabet |
|---|
| AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz |
The letter M (uppercase) or m (lowercase) is the thirteenth letter in the Latin alphabet. This alphabet is used in English and many other languages around the world. When you say its name in English, it sounds like "em."
Contents
Discovering the Letter M
The Journey of M: From Ancient Symbols to Today
The letter M has a very long and interesting history! It started as a picture of water in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. This symbol looked like ripples of water.
M's Roots in Hieroglyphs and Phoenician Script
The ancient Egyptians had a symbol for "water." This symbol was later adopted by the Phoenicians. They used it to represent a sound similar to our "m." They called their letter "Mem."
Later, the Greeks borrowed this letter from the Phoenicians. They changed its shape a bit and called it "Mu" (Μ, μ). The Latin alphabet then took the letter from the Greeks, giving us the M we use today.
| Egyptian hieroglyph "n" |
Phoenician Mem |
Western Greek Mu |
Etruscan M |
Latin M |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
How We Use M in Words
The letter M is very common in many languages. It usually makes a similar sound wherever it is used.
The Sound of M in English
In English, the letter ⟨m⟩ usually makes the "mmm" sound. You hear it in words like "mom," "milk," and "dream." This sound is made by closing your lips and letting air out through your nose.
Sometimes, M can act like a vowel. For example, in words like "spasm," the "m" sound is held a bit longer. It's like a tiny syllable on its own. M is also one of the most frequently used letters in the English language.
M in Other Languages and Systems
Many other languages use the letter ⟨m⟩ for the same "mmm" sound. This includes Latin, Spanish, French, and German.
In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which is a special system for writing down sounds, ⟨m⟩ also represents this common sound.
More Than Just a Letter: Other Meanings of M
The letter M is used for many things besides just making sounds in words. It has several special meanings!
M as a Number and a Measurement
- In Roman numerals, the capital letter M stands for the number 1000.
- M can be a prefix meaning "mega," which means one million times. For example, a megabyte (MB) is one million bytes.
- The lowercase m is the standard abbreviation for metre (or meter). A meter is a unit of length.
- Sometimes, m is also used as a short way to write "mile."
M in Everyday Life and Symbols
- M often stands for "male" or "masculine." You might see it on forms or in charts.
- Many rapid transit systems, like subways, use M as their logo. It stands for "Metro."
- You might see a special symbol like ™ (TM) which means "trademark." This shows that a name or logo is legally protected.
M's Family Tree: Related Letters and Symbols
The letter M has many relatives in different alphabets around the world.
M's Ancestors: From Greek to Latin
- The Semitic letter Mem (𐤌) is the original ancestor.
- From Mem came the Greek letter Mu (Μ μ).
- The Coptic letter Me (Ⲙ ⲙ) and the Cyrillic letter Em (М м) both came from Greek Mu.
- The Old Italic M (𐌌) also came from Greek Mu. This Old Italic M is the direct ancestor of our modern Latin M.
- The Runic letter Mannaz (ᛗ) came from the Old Italic M.
Special M Symbols and Abbreviations
- The inverted M (ꟽ) was used in ancient Roman texts. It stood for mulier, which means "woman."
- The archaic M (ꟿ) was used in ancient Roman texts to shorten the name 'Manius'.
- The symbol ₥ is used for "mill," a small unit of currency.
M in the Digital World and Beyond
The letter M is important in computers and other forms of communication.
How Computers Understand M
Computers use special codes to represent letters.
- In ASCII, the capital M is code 4D and the lowercase m is 6D.
- In Unicode, the capital M is U+004D and the lowercase m is U+006D. These codes help computers display the letter correctly everywhere.
M in Codes and Communication
- In the NATO phonetic alphabet, M is represented by the word "Mike." This helps people understand letters clearly over radio.
- In Morse code, M is two long signals: dash-dash (––).
- In Braille, which is a system for blind people, M is written as dots arranged like this: ⠍.
- In fingerspelling, you make a specific hand shape to show the letter M.
Images for kids
-
Semaphore signal for the letter M
-
Signal flag
See also
In Spanish: M para niños
