Writing
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (Urmia): writing
How Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (Urmia) is written: scripts, the alphabet, romanisation, numerals, keyboards and fonts.
ܣܘܪܝܝܐ
01Scripts
-
ܐ ܒ ܓ ܕSyriac alphabet (East Syriac)
22 letters, all consonants. Vowels are marked with points above and below.
02Alphabet chart: Syriac alphabet (East Syriac)
Letters: Unicode CLDR exemplar characters for syr.
- ܐʾ
- ܒb
- ܓg
- ܕd
- ܗh
- ܘw
- ܙz
- ܚḥ
- ܛṭ
- ܝy
- ܟk
- ܠl
- ܡm
- ܢn
- ܣs
- ܥʿ
- ܦp
- ܨṣ
- ܩq
- ܪr
- ܫš
- ܬt
Show as a table
| Letter | Code point | Unicode name | Romanisation | Sound (IPA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ܐ | U+0710 | syriac letter alaph | ʾ | |
| ܒ | U+0712 | syriac letter beth | b | |
| ܓ | U+0713 | syriac letter gamal | g | |
| ܕ | U+0715 | syriac letter dalath | d | |
| ܗ | U+0717 | syriac letter he | h | |
| ܘ | U+0718 | syriac letter waw | w | |
| ܙ | U+0719 | syriac letter zain | z | |
| ܚ | U+071A | syriac letter heth | ḥ | |
| ܛ | U+071B | syriac letter teth | ṭ | |
| ܝ | U+071D | syriac letter yudh | y | |
| ܟ | U+071F | syriac letter kaph | k | |
| ܠ | U+0720 | syriac letter lamadh | l | |
| ܡ | U+0721 | syriac letter mim | m | |
| ܢ | U+0722 | syriac letter nun | n | |
| ܣ | U+0723 | syriac letter semkath | s | |
| ܥ | U+0725 | syriac letter e | ʿ | |
| ܦ | U+0726 | syriac letter pe | p | |
| ܨ | U+0728 | syriac letter sadhe | ṣ | |
| ܩ | U+0729 | syriac letter qaph | q | |
| ܪ | U+072A | syriac letter rish | r | |
| ܫ | U+072B | syriac letter shin | š | |
| ܬ | U+072C | syriac letter taw | t |
- 22 letters, all consonants. Vowels are marked with points above and below.
- Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is usually written in the East Syriac style (ISO 15924 Syrn).
Sources Unicode Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR), version 49 data. (2026) Verified; The Unicode Standard, version 18.0.0: Unicode Character Database. (2026) Verified
03Romanisation and transliteration
Writing the language in other letters, by open published standards. Libraries use the ALA-LC tables for names and titles.
Syriac to Latin, ALA-LC (2012)
ܣܘܪܝܬ
swryt
Consonants only. Vowel points are left out of this demo.
Nothing you type leaves your browser. A teaching aid: check any text against the standard before you use it.
Syriac to Latin, ALA-LC (2012)
| Letter | Becomes |
|---|---|
| ܐ | ʾ |
| ܒ | b |
| ܓ | g |
| ܕ | d |
| ܗ | h |
| ܘ | w |
| ܙ | z |
| ܚ | ḥ |
| ܛ | ṭ |
| ܝ | y |
| ܟ | k |
| ܠ | l |
| ܡ | m |
| ܢ | n |
| ܣ | s |
| ܥ | ʿ |
| ܦ | p |
| ܨ | ṣ |
| ܩ | q |
| ܪ | r |
| ܫ | š |
| ܬ | t |
Sources Library of Congress. ALA-LC Romanization Tables: Syriac, 2012 version. (2012) Verified
04Numerals
- Western digits latn
- 2026
Digits from Unicode CLDR numbering systems.
Show as a table
| Digits | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western digits | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
05Orthography and standards
No official orthography body is recorded for Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (Urmia) yet.
| Standard | For this language |
|---|---|
| ISO 639-3 | aii |
| ISO 15924 | Syrc |
| Unicode CLDR locale | syr |
| Digits | latn |
Sources ISO 639-3 code tables. SIL International, registration authority. (2025) To verify; ISO 15924 codes for the representation of names of scripts. Unicode Consortium, registration authority. (2025) Verified; Unicode Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR), version 49 data. (2026) Verified
06Keyboards and typing
- Windows
- Settings, Time and language, Language and region: add the language, then its keyboard. Switch with Windows key and Space.
- macOS
- System Settings, Keyboard, Text Input: edit Input Sources and add the keyboard. Switch from the menu bar.
- Android
- In the keyboard app’s settings (Gboard: Languages), add the language and choose its layout.
- iPhone and iPad
- Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards: add the keyboard. Switch with the globe key.
- Linux
- In the desktop settings (GNOME: Keyboard, Input Sources), add the layout.
Which layouts each system ships for each language changes with every release. Check the list on your device; layouts we have confirmed are named on the language’s page.
07Fonts
On this platform the language is shown with Noto Sans Syriac Eastern. Every face is self-hosted under an open licence.
| Font | Scripts | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| Vazirmatn | Persian, Arabic, Dari, South Azerbaijani | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| Estedad | Kurdish in the Arabic-based script, Arabic-script headings | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| Noto Sans Armenian | Armenian | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| Noto Sans Syriac Eastern | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| Noto Sans Mandaic | Mandaic | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| Noto Sans Hebrew | Hebrew, Judeo-Persian | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| Noto Sans Georgian | Georgian | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
| IBM Plex Sans and Noto Sans | Latin and Cyrillic, Kurdish Cyrillic letters | SIL Open Font License 1.1 |
08Sources
Unicode Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR), version 49 data. 2026
Verified Unicode License v3 Exemplar characters and default numbering systems, read 2026-10-23.
Library of Congress. ALA-LC Romanization Tables: Syriac, 2012 version. 2012
Verified
The Unicode Standard, version 18.0.0: Unicode Character Database. 2026
Verified Unicode License v3 Character names, code points and block ranges.
Verified
ISO 639-3 code tables. SIL International, registration authority. 2025
To verify Codes cross-checked through Glottolog records; the code tables themselves were not read.
Cite this page
- APA
Iranian Diaspora Cooperation & Development Council. (2026). Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (Urmia): Writing. iranians.global. https://iranians.global/language/languages/aii/writing/
- Chicago
Iranian Diaspora Cooperation & Development Council. 2026. “Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (Urmia): Writing.” iranians.global. https://iranians.global/language/languages/aii/writing/.
- BibTeX
@misc{idcdc2026_language_languages_aii_writing, author = {{Iranian Diaspora Cooperation \& Development Council}}, year = {2026}, note = {Licence: CC BY 4.0}, title = {Assyrian {Neo}-{Aramaic} ({Urmia}): Writing}, url = {https://iranians.global/language/languages/aii/writing/}, howpublished = {https://iranians.global/language/languages/aii/writing/}, }- RIS
TY - ELEC AU - Iranian Diaspora Cooperation & Development Council DA - 2026/// PY - 2026 ID - idcdc2026_language_l N1 - Licence: CC BY 4.0 TI - Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (Urmia): Writing UR - https://iranians.global/language/languages/aii/writing/ ER -
09Research and sources
Recent and relevant work on this page’s subject, from approved open scholarly sources. Metadata and links only. Titles stay as published. Not yet reviewed.
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Hezy Mutzafi, Dan Shapira · 2025 · Scripta Judaica Cracoviensia
ArticleCrossrefOpenAIREOpen accessCC-BY-4.0
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The Neo-Aramaic Dialect of the Assyrian Christians of Urmi (4 vols)
Geoffrey A. Khan · 2016 · BRILL eBooks
BookOpenAlexCrossrefOpen access
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Manlaharban and Aramaic in the Neo-Assyrian Oracular Queries Written by Women
Jonathan Valk, Saana Svärd · 2024 · Knowledge Commons
ArticleDataCite
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Alexander Johannes Edmonds · 2022 · Asia Anteriore Antica
ArticleDOAJOpen access
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The Neo-Aramaic Oral Heritage of the Jews of Zakho
Oz Aloni · 2022 · Cambridge semitic languages and cultures
BookOpenAlexOpen accessCC-BY-NC
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A Poem in the Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Urmia
L. Yaure · 1957 · Journal of Near Eastern Studies
ArticleOpenAlexCrossrefOpenAIRE
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Catholic Catechism in Urmia Aramaic
2010 · Catholic Catechism in Urmia Aramaic
ChapterCrossref
-
Reading Book for Urmia Aramaic
Anonymous Anonymous · 2010 · Reading Book for Urmia Aramaic
ChapterCrossref
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Elena Shvedova, Yuri Koryakov, Elizaveta Zabelina · 2026 · Journal of Language Relationship
ArticleOpenAIREOpen access
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Dorota Molin · 2024 · Folia Linguistica
ArticleOpenAlexOpen accessCC-BY
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NORTH-EASTERN NEO-ARAMAIC AND THE MIDDLE ARAMAIC DIALECTS
Samuel Ethan Fox · 2008 · Neo-Aramaic Dialect Studies
ChapterCrossref
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Fabio Gasparini · 2014 · RiCOGNIZIONI. Rivista di Lingue e Letterature straniere e Culture moderne
ArticleOpenAlexOpen accessCC-BY
Sources, licences and fetch dates: Crossref (Metadata facts, any use; abstracts may be publisher-owned and are never shown), 2026-10-23; DataCite (CC0 1.0 (DataCite metadata)), 2026-10-23; DOAJ (Metadata CC0 1.0 (DOAJ); articles under their own open licences), 2026-10-23; OpenAIRE (CC BY 4.0 (OpenAIRE Graph)), 2026-10-23; OpenAlex (CC0-1.0 data; metered API (free key)), 2026-10-23.