How to Write in Amharic

Forming Individual Characters

Download a table of Amharic characters. The Amharic script is partially an alphabet, and partially syllabic. While there are vowel and consonant characters, each character usually represents a syllable, rather than an individual letter. The script includes 33 basic shapes. There are numerous tables of Amharic characters available online that you can use to practice the characters. The US Library of Congress has a complete table with pronunciation of each syllabic character available at https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/amharic.pdf. You can also use a website such as http://amharicteacher.com/hahu/, which provides the shape of the character as well as its pronunciation, if you click on the character.

Get blank ruled paper to practice your script. Special lines aren't needed to write Amharic script. However, you might find it easier to use wide-ruled paper initially, so that you can write the characters a little larger. To learn how to write Amharic, practice each of the characters repeatedly until your writing becomes automatic. As you progress, remember to go back and review the characters you've already learned periodically.

Keep characters roughly the same size. If you are familiar with the Latin alphabet, you know that there are several letters that extend above or below the other letters. In fidäl, all of the letters are written within two imaginary lines, with no parts extending above or below those lines. Some of the characters float between the lines, touching neither the top or bottom. Others extend to the top and bottom lines. Looking at the characters on the chart will help you determine where they should be placed within the lines.

Use downward strokes to form characters. While there are no specifically required strokes for fidäl, as with some other scripts, all downward strokes are generally used. This means that parts of a character that look like a loop often are made with 2 strokes rather than just one. For example, the first character you'll likely learn to form is the ha character: ሀ. Start at the top, make a downward stroke, then make the second downward stroke curving around to connect to the first. This method is preferred to simply using a single, curving stroke, as you would if you were writing the English letter U. Practicing with downward strokes will help you to write more quickly. Break down each character into pieces that can be formed using downward strokes.

Start with the simplest "first order" characters. Fidäl is organized into 7 orders. The first order characters are the simplest, and form the basis of all other orders. Once you learn the first order, you can form the characters in the other orders by modifying the original first order character. There are 33 characters in the first order. Break them up into smaller groups of 5 to 10 characters for practice. Each day, repeat the first characters you've learned so that you gradually build your knowledge of fidäl characters.

Advance through the other 6 orders of characters. Most of the characters in the other orders are formed by making a particular modification to the basic character in the first order. Recognizing these patterns will make it easier to memorize the different characters. For example, you form characters in the second order by adding a hooked dash to the center of the right side of the first order character. Thus, ሀ (ha) becomes ሁ (hu). As you progress through the characters, you'll note that some syllables are represented by 2 or 3 different characters. These characters are relatively interchangeable in Amharic. While there may be a specific spelling that is more commonly used, alternative spellings would be understood. Set aside 10-15 minutes each day to practice forming characters. At the beginning of your practice session, write each of the first order characters. Then proceed to the order you're currently working on, and repeat the characters several times.

Writing Short Words

Start with personal pronouns. Many sentences you write will include personal pronouns. Pronouns also determine how you conjugate the verbs you use. Personal pronouns in Amharic are simple words with only 2 or 3 characters, so they are relatively easy to learn. The first-person singular pronoun in Amharic is እኔ (pronounced eh-neh). For third-person singular, use እሱ (pronounced eh-soo) for he and እሷ (pronounced eh-swah) for she. The second-person pronoun, አንተ (pronounced ehnteh), can be either singular or plural. For plural pronouns, use እኛ (pronounced ehnyuh) for we and እነሱ (pronounced eh-neh-soo) for they.

Learn Amharic words for furniture and parts of your home. These are words that are likely to come up frequently when you converse or write in Amharic. If you write the word on a card or sticky note and label the items around your home, you'll learn to recognize the words more easily. For example, the Amharic word for sofa is ሶፋ. It is a loan word from English, and is pronounced the same way in Amharic as it is in English. The Amharic word for house is ቤት (pronounced beht). This word is also used to mean "room' in Amharic. So, for example, bedroom is መኝታ ቤት (pronounced meñtabet), and livingroom is መኖርያ ቤት (pronounced menoryabet). You can find a list of Amharic words for common items around the house at http://amharicteacher.com/home/.

Label other items around your home to increase your vocabulary. In addition to rooms and basic household objects, you can also label foods and other items, such as kitchen utensils or articles of clothing. These labels will help you greatly expand your vocabulary over time. You can find a list of Amharic words for kitchen items at http://amharicteacher.com/kitchen/. The same website also has lists for items of clothing, fruits and vegetables, and other categories.

Add Amharic words for animals to your vocabulary. Many words for animals use only 2 or 3 characters, which make them some of the simplest words to write in Amharic. You can copy the words from an Amharic website, or listen to the words and try to sound out the spelling for yourself. There is a list of Amharic animal words with pictures of the animals and sound files for each word available at http://amharicteacher.com/animals/. Some Amharic words for animals sound similar to the English name for that animal. For example, the Amharic word for camel is ግመል (pronounced geh-mehl).

Progressing to Full Sentences

Use subject-object-verb word order. In Amharic sentences, the verb is always the last word. Typically, the subject begins the sentence, followed by the object and any prepositional phrases. Adjectives may come before or after the subject. In colloquial or common spoken usage, you may also encounter object-subject-verb word order. However, the object always comes before the verb. Personal pronouns typically are dropped from the sentence. The subject is assumed from the conjugation of the verb.

Place a "፡" between words to indicate word separation. Amharic fidäl does not use spaces the way languages written in Latin-based scripts do. Instead, the ፡ symbol between characters indicates that one word has ended. The next word begins immediately after the symbol. When typing in Amharic, many writers simply place spaces between the words rather than using "፡" as a word separation symbol.

Add other punctuation as necessary for full sentences. Amharic also has its own punctuation that is used when writing in script. Amharic readers and speakers will also understand some English punctuation marks, such as the exclamation point (!) or question mark (?). The symbol "።" is used to indicate a period or full stop at the end of a sentence. The symbol "፧" is used to indicate a question mark, although an English-style question mark may also be used. The symbol "፣" is used for a comma, while "፤" is a semi-colon and "፥" is a colon. These punctuation marks are all composed of 2 dots, like an English colon. The difference depends on where the straight line is placed (or 2 lines, in the case of a semi-colon).

Become pen pals with a native speaker. One of the easiest ways to improve your Amharic writing and speaking skills is to communicate regularly with a native speaker. Websites such as My Language Exchange can help connect you with an Ethiopian whose native language is Amharic. If you live near a university, find out if the university teaches Amharic or has an Amharic interest club. There will probably also be Amharic native speakers in Ethiopian student groups. If there's an Ethiopian restaurant near you, ask the owners if they know anyone who would like to write to you so you can practice your Amharic.

Enable or download Ethiopic fonts. If you want to type in Amharic script on your computer, you'll need the correct font. You may also want to print a keyboard guide until you've memorized which keys produce which Amharic characters. Many computers come with Ethiopic fonts pre-installed. However, for older computers you may have to download fonts or extensions to read or type in Amharic. The Senamirmir Project offers free downloads of Ethiopic fonts at http://senamirmir.com/projects/typography/typeface.html. You can also download free font packages for your smart phone using your phone's app store.