Ogham

Ogam Left-to-right Historical Alphabet European
Sample Text
ᚑᚌᚐᚋ

Sample Characters

First 48 characters from Ogham (U+1680–U+169C)

About Ogham

The Ogham alphabet was used primarily in Ireland and Britain from approximately the 4th to the 7th century CE to write Old Irish and occasionally Brittonic languages. Ogham inscriptions are found predominantly on standing stones, mostly in Ireland and Wales.

Ogham consists of strokes and notches cut along a central stem line (the druim). It has 20 basic letters organized into four groups of five, plus five additional letters. The alphabet was likely designed by Irish scholars familiar with Latin and possibly influenced by runic ideas. Ogham is preserved in medieval manuscripts as a cipher and curiosity.

Data sourced from the ISO 15924 registry, Unicode CLDR, and the Unicode Character Database.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of writing system is Ogham?
Ogham is an Alphabet. Alphabets represent both consonants and vowels as distinct letters.
What direction does Ogham read?
Ogham is written Left-to-right, the same direction as most European scripts.
How many languages use the Ogham script?
0 languages use Ogham according to Unicode CLDR data.
When was the Ogham script created?
The Ogham script originated around 400 CE. It is now considered a historical script, no longer in active everyday use.

Compare Ogham With Another Script

Direction, characters, languages — side by side.

Key Facts

ISO Code
Ogam
ISO Number
212
Script Type
Alphabet
Direction
Left-to-right
Status
Historical
Region
European
Characters
29
Introduced
400 CE
Languages
0

Unicode Ranges

  • Ogham
    U+1680–U+169C