ⲙⲉⲧⲣⲉⲙⲛⲕⲏⲙⲉ

Coptic

Afro-Asiatic (Egyptian) · historical / hidden variety

FamilyAfro-Asiatic (Egyptian) SpeakersExtinct (liturgical) ScriptCoptic (Greek-derived) CountriesRoman/Byzantine Egypt Official inCoptic Orthodox Church (liturgical) Vitalityextinct ISO 639-3cop

Coptic (ϯⲙⲉⲧⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ tiṃetremnkhīmi) is the final stage of the Egyptian language, descended directly from Demotic Egyptian and ultimately from the language of the hieroglyphic inscriptions of pharaonic Egypt. Written in a Greek-derived alphabet supplemented by 7 letters from Demotic for sounds Greek lacked (ϣ š, ϥ f, ϧ x, ϩ h, ϫ ǰ, ϭ č, ϯ ti). Several dialects (Sahidic, Bohairic, Akhmimic, Fayyumic), with Bohairic now standard for the Coptic Orthodox Church. Ceased as a spoken vernacular by the 17th c. with Arabization, but remains the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church (~10–15M adherents). Lord's Prayer in Coptic survives.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Coptic

Water

ⲙⲟⲟⲩ

moːu

Fire

ⲕⲣⲱⲙ

kroːm

Sun

ⲣⲏ

reː

Moon

ⲓⲟϩ

joːh

Star

ⲥⲓⲟⲩ

siu

Night

ⲟⲩϣⲏ

uʃeː

Rain

ϩⲱⲟⲩ

hoːu

Snow

ⲭⲓⲱⲛ

xioːn

Wind

ⲑⲏⲟⲩ

tʰeːu

Earth

ⲕⲁϩ

kah

Stone

ⲱⲛⲉ

oːnə

Mountain

ⲧⲱⲟⲩ

toːu

Sea

ⲉⲓⲟⲙ

ejom

Mother

ⲙⲁⲁⲩ

maːu

Father

ⲉⲓⲱⲧ

ejoːt

Daughter

ϣⲉⲉⲣⲉ

ʃeːre

I

ⲁⲛⲟⲕ

aˈnok

You

ⲛⲧⲟⲕ

ənˈtok

We

ⲁⲛⲟⲛ

aˈnon

Name

ⲣⲁⲛ

ran

Person

ⲣⲱⲙⲉ

roːme

Head

ⲁⲡⲉ

ape

Eye

ⲃⲁⲗ

bal

Ear

ⲙⲁⲁϫⲉ

maːdʒe

Nose

ϣⲁ

ʃa

Mouth

ⲣⲟ

ro

Tooth

ⲛⲁϫϩⲉ

nadʒhe

Tongue

ⲗⲁⲥ

las

Hand

ϭⲓϫ

tʃidʒ

Foot

ⲟⲩⲉⲣⲏⲧⲉ

uereːte

Heart

ϩⲏⲧ

heːt

Bone

ⲕⲁⲥ

kas

Blood

ⲥⲛⲟϥ

snof

Poop

ϩⲟⲥ

hos

Love

ⲙⲉ

me

Tree

ϣⲏⲛ

ʃeːn

Dog

ⲟⲩϩⲟⲣ

uhɔr

Cat

ⲉⲙⲟⲩ

emu

Fish

ⲧⲃⲧ

təbt

Bird

ϩⲁⲗⲏⲧ

haˈleːt

Egg

ⲥⲟⲟⲩϩⲉ

soːuhe

Bear

ⲗⲁⲃⲟⲓ

laβɔj

Horse

ϩⲧⲟ

hto

House

ⲏⲓ

eːj

Milk

ⲉⲣⲱⲧⲉ

eroːte

Honey

ⲉⲃⲓⲱ

ebioː

Salt

ϩⲙⲟⲩ

hmu

Wine

ⲏⲣⲡ

eːrp

Iron

ⲃⲉⲛⲓⲡⲉ

benipe

Wheel

ⲕⲟⲧ

kot

Book

ϫⲱⲙ

tʃoːm

Eat

ⲟⲩⲱⲙ

uoːm

Drink

ⲥⲱ

soː

Sleep

ⲛⲕⲟⲧ

ənkot

One

ⲟⲩⲁ

ua

Two

ⲥⲛⲁⲩ

ˈsnau

Three

ϣⲟⲙⲧ

ʃomt

Four

ϥⲧⲟⲟⲩ

ftoːu

Five

ϯⲟⲩ

tiu

Hundred

ϣⲉ

ʃe

Hello

ⲛⲟⲩϥⲣⲓ

nufri

Thank you

ϣⲉⲡϩⲙⲟⲧ

ʃephmot

Good

ⲛⲁⲛⲟⲩ

nanu

New

ⲃⲣⲣⲉ

bərːe

Red

ⲧⲣⲟϣⲣⲉϣ

troʃreʃ

White

ⲟⲩⲟⲃϣ

uobʃ

Black

ⲕⲁⲙⲉ

kame

Green

ⲟⲩⲟⲧⲟⲩⲉⲧ

uotuet

Sushi

ⲧⲁⲣⲓⲭⲓⲟⲛ

taˈrixion

Ninety-nine

ⲡⲥⲧⲁⲓⲟⲩⲯⲓⲥ

pstaiupsis

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Afro-Asiatic (Egyptian)

Meaning CopticAncient EgyptianBalochiMenomineeAkkadianWolayttaLule Sámi
Water ⲙⲟⲟⲩ /moːu/ 𓈗 /muː/ آپ /aːp/ nepāew /nəpaːew/ 𒀀 /muː/ haatta /haːtːa/ tjáhtje /tʃaːhtje/
Fire ⲕⲣⲱⲙ /kroːm/ 𓏴𓏏𓊮 /sedʒet/ آس /aːs/ eskotēw /eskoteːw/ 𒉈𒌋 /iʃaːtu/ tama /tama/ dålla /tolːa/
Sun ⲣⲏ /reː/ 𓇳 /raː/ روچ /roːtʃ/ kēsoq /keːsoʔ/ 𒀭𒌓 /ʃamʃu/ awa /awa/ biejvve /pie̯jvːe/
Moon ⲓⲟϩ /joːh/ 𓇹 /iaːh/ ماہ /maːh/ tepāhkēsoq /tepaːhkeːsoʔ/ 𒌗 /warχu/ aginaa /aɡinaː/ mánno /maːnːo/
Star ⲥⲓⲟⲩ /siu/ 𓋴𓃀𓄿𓇼 /seba/ استار /estaːr/ anaeq /anæʔ/ 𒀯 /kakːabu/ xoolinttee /tʼoːlintːeː/ náste /ˈnaːste/
Night ⲟⲩϣⲏ /uʃeː/ 𓎼𓂋𓎛𓇰 /ɡereh/ شپ /ʃap/ tepāhkeh /tepaːhkeh/ 𒈬𒋗 /muːʃu/ qamma /kʼamːa/ idja /idjɑ/
Rain ϩⲱⲟⲩ /hoːu/ 𓎛𓅱𓏏𓇲 /huːt/ ہؤر /hawr/ — 𒍪𒌦𒉡 /ˈzunnu/ iraa /iraː/ arvve /arvːe/
Snow ⲭⲓⲱⲛ /xioːn/ 𓐠𓏤𓂋𓏤𓈎𓅱𓇲𓏥 /sarakuː/ برف /barf/ kōn /koːn/ 𒊭𒀠𒄖 /ʃalɡu/ suuppa shachcha /suːpːa ʃatʃːa/ muohtta /muɔhtta/
Page 1/9

Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Coptic
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲉⲓⲟⲩⲱϣ ⲛⲧⲁϣⲉⲡ ⲟⲩϩⲃⲥⲱ ⲉⲧⲁⲓⲛⲁⲩ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲁⲡⲟⲑⲏⲕⲏ ⲙⲡⲉⲙⲧⲟ ⲙⲡⲙⲁⲛϣⲱⲡⲉ
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 で 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
我 想 试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 里 看到的 那套西装
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with languages in the same classification

Coptic
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲉⲓⲟⲩⲱϣ ⲛⲧⲁϣⲉⲡ ⲟⲩϩⲃⲥⲱ ⲉⲧⲁⲓⲛⲁⲩ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲁⲡⲟⲑⲏⲕⲏ ⲙⲡⲉⲙⲧⲟ ⲙⲡⲙⲁⲛϣⲱⲡⲉ
anāku erriš labāšu lubāri ša amuru ina bīti mehret bīt nubatti
𓅓𓂋𓏏|mrt 𓇋|.j 𓅓𓂝𓂝|mꜣꜣ.n.j 𓎛𓃀𓋴|ḥbs 𓅓 𓅱𓇋𓂝𓏏|m wjꜥ.t 𓂋 𓉐|r-ḥꜣ.t pr
أنا أبي أجرب البدلة اللي شفتها في المحل مقابل الفندق
Ina so in gwada rigar ‌da na gani a shago gaban hotel

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