Sahidic
A major literary dialectThe present article/noun unit and much Coptic Scriptorium material.
LANGUAGE
From written signs to everyday conversation.
Mandarin Chinese / Taiwan
Bopomofo / Zhuyin
注音符號A set of phonetic symbols used to show Mandarin pronunciation. Syllables are assembled from an initial, a medial or final, and a tone.
The first version was created in 1913 and released in 1918. It remains a practical reading, dictionary, and keyboard tool in Taiwan.
- SYMBOLS
- 37
- TONES
- 5
- ALSO CALLED
- Zhuyin / Zhuyin Fuhao
Initials
21Medials
3Finals
13Tones
5PUBLISHED · FOUNDATION 01 · 15 SEPTEMBER 2026
Coptic: start here
Greek-derived letters plus Egyptian-derived signs; letter inventory varies by dialect.
Track direction: Sahidic reading foundations with a distinct Bohairic path.
Published below: one grammar rule, worked example, exercise with an answer, introductory words and reading forms. Planned next: sound contrasts, wider grammar and guided reading/listening. This is the start of the course.
Coptic: Sahidic and Bohairic
Coptic records the Egyptian language using a Greek-derived alphabet with additional signs. Dialect, textual era and living reading tradition must be labeled.
Bohairic
Delta origin; important liturgical useDistinct spellings and grammatical patterns; modern pronunciation traditions also differ.
Other dialects
Akhmimic, Lycopolitan, Fayyumic and othersStudy with explicitly dialect-labeled texts and references.
Try it: Should Bohairic pronunciation be silently attached to a Sahidic form?
Show the answer
No. Label the reading convention and dialect separately.
References: Coptic Scriptorium ↗
COPTIC / FOUNDATION 01
Ⲙⲛⲧⲣⲙⲛⲕⲏⲙⲉ
Sahidic reading foundations with a distinct Bohairic path.
The words for everyday life.
Find a situation, read the phrase, or show the native text. Learn common replies as well as questions.
Pronunciation & how to use these phrases
Greek-derived letters plus Egyptian-derived signs; letter inventory varies by dialect. Device speech, when available, is only a model for that installed voice; historical and unsupported varieties have no automatic voice here.
Published: a first rule with a worked example and answer, introductory vocabulary, and reading forms. Next: sound contrasts → inflection and sentence patterns → connected reading/listening → independent use. Coptic is a stage of Egyptian, not Greek written differently. Sahidic is useful for many early texts; Bohairic has an important liturgical tradition. Do not assign one reconstructed pronunciation to all communities.
4 phrases
Reading foundations
Further reading & cultural sources
Sahidic reading foundations with a distinct Bohairic path.
In Sahidic, the common definite articles are ⲡ- masculine singular, ⲧ- feminine singular and ⲛ- plural. They attach to the noun; other article allomorphs and constructions come later.
ⲡⲣⲱⲙⲉ / ⲛⲣⲱⲙⲉthe man / the people
Explain why the answer follows the rule. Then return to the example and identify the unchanged part. This first unit is published; the full grammar sequence remains in development.
Try it yourself
1 / 1 · 0 correctApply the rule.
Common Sahidic plural definite article: ___.
All words · vocabulary quiz
1 / 6 · 0 correctChoose the English meaning.
ⲣⲱⲙⲉ
ⲣⲱⲙⲉperson
ⲣⲱⲙⲉperson
ⲙⲟⲟⲩwater
ⲙⲟⲟⲩwater
ⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲕbread
ⲟⲩⲟⲉⲓⲕbread
ⲡ-masculine article
ⲡ-masculine article
ⲧ-feminine article
ⲧ-feminine article
ⲛ-plural article
ⲛ-plural article
Between the words
Coptic is a stage of Egyptian, not Greek written differently. Sahidic is useful for many early texts; Bohairic has an important liturgical tradition. Do not assign one reconstructed pronunciation to all communities.
ⲣⲱⲙⲉ
person / manCoptic is a stage of Egyptian, not Greek written differently. Sahidic is useful for many early texts; Bohairic has an important liturgical tradition. Do not assign one reconstructed pronunciation to all communities.
ⲣⲱⲙⲉ
A short foundation is not a complete conversation course. Follow the named language variety and source recordings.
Read the situation
1 / 1 · 0 correctRecall the first expression or reading form.
Practice scores last for this visit.Coptic audio is unavailable on this device. All exercises work without audio.