Amharic
አማርኛ
Amharic uses the Ge'ez script (Fidel), one of the world's oldest writing systems still in daily use — over 2,000 years old! Ethiopia is also the birthplace of coffee.
Lin says:
Selam! I'm Lin! Amharic has one of the world's oldest writing systems still in active use — the Ge'ez script (called Fidel) has been used for over 2,000 years! Ethiopia is Africa's most ancient independent nation and the origin of coffee! The Ge'ez script looks completely beautiful — like no other writing system on Earth. Betam tesfanki! (Very exciting!)
Quick Facts
Speakers
~35 million
Language Family
Afro-Asiatic (Semitic)
Writing
Ge'ez script / Fidel (2,000+ years old)
Origin
Birthplace of coffee
Discover Amharic
Amharic uses the Ge'ez script (Fidel), one of the world's oldest writing systems still in daily use — over 2,000 years old! Ethiopia is also the birthplace of coffee.
Writing System
Ge'ez script (Fidel)
Native Speakers
~35 million
Key Countries
For Educators
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Did You Know?
Amharic is the second most widely spoken Semitic language in the world after Arabic — and Ethiopia is Africa's 2nd most populous country with over 120 million people.
The Ge'ez script has 231 characters (7 forms for each of 33 base characters representing consonant-vowel combinations called fidels) — making it one of the most systematic scripts in the world.
Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia — whose title included 'Lion of the Tribe of Judah' — proclaimed Amharic a language of the African Union and a symbol of African pride.
What Makes Amharic Special?
Ancient Ge'ez Script
The Fidel script used for Amharic is one of the world's oldest writing systems still in daily use — older than the Latin alphabet used for English.
Coffee Was Born Here
Coffee (kaffa) originates from the Kaffa region of Ethiopia — legend says a goat herder noticed his goats dancing after eating the berries. The world's first coffee!
Ancient Empire
Ethiopia is Africa's oldest independent nation — the ancient Kingdom of Aksum was a major world empire, and Ethiopia was one of only two African nations never colonised by Europe.
Keep Exploring the World!
Languages are windows into the world's cultures. Discover more languages and the countries where they are spoken.