Sample Characters
First 48 characters from Runic (U+16A0–U+16F8)
About Runic
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets used by Germanic peoples from around 150 CE to the early Middle Ages. The most widespread was the Elder Futhark (24 characters), named for its first six letters.
Runes were used primarily for inscriptions on stones, weapons, jewelry, and other durable objects. Later Viking-Age versions include the Younger Futhark (16 characters). While runic writing was eventually replaced by the Latin alphabet following Christianization, runes survived in Scandinavian folk traditions and epigraphy into the 19th century. They are now primarily of archaeological and historical interest.
Data sourced from the ISO 15924 registry, Unicode CLDR, and the Unicode Character Database.
Script Family & Lineage
Languages Using Runic 1
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of writing system is Runic?
What direction does Runic read?
How many languages use the Runic script?
When was the Runic script created?
Compare Runic With Another Script
Direction, characters, languages — side by side.
Key Facts
- ISO Code
- Runr
- ISO Number
- 211
- Script Type
- Alphabet
- Direction
- Left-to-right
- Status
- Historical
- Region
- European
- Characters
- 86
- Introduced
- 150 CE
- Languages
- 1
Unicode Ranges
-
RunicU+16A0–U+16F8