How the Amharic alphabet works (Fidel)

The Amharic alphabet is commonly called Fidel (ፊደል). It’s the Ethiopic script used to write Amharic and other languages in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Amharic is also a working language of Ethiopia, so you’ll see Fidel on signs, documents, and everyday writing. Fidel is a syllabary: most characters represent a consonant + vowel sound together.

Quick facts

• Base families: ~33 core consonant families (varies slightly by reference)
• 7 orders: each family has 7 forms for vowel sounds (e, u, i, a, ē/ie, ə, o)
• Direction: written left‑to‑right
• Origin: developed from the older Ge’ez (Ethiopic) writing tradition

How to start learning

1. Pick one family (example: ሀ family) and learn its 7 orders.
2. Practice reading simple words (names, days, common nouns).
3. Use the search box above to find characters by sound or typing key.
4. Type your own words using our Amharic keyboard.

The 7 orders (vowels) in plain English

Each family repeats the same consonant, but the vowel changes across the 7 forms.

• Learn one row at a time: it’s faster than memorizing random characters.
• Say it out loud: your mouth movement helps you remember the order.

Pronunciation tip

Many learners do best by learning families (7 forms) instead of memorizing one character at a time. Think “same consonant, different vowel”.

Printable reference (PDF)

If you want a quick offline sheet, use your browser’s Print feature and choose “Save as PDF”. That gives you a simple “Amharic alphabet PDF” reference from this page.

FAQ