The World of Languages · Indo-European
Greek · Ελληνικά (Elliniká)
Over 3,000 years of written history in one language: the alphabet that inspired Latin and Cyrillic, and the source of a huge share of scientific English.
- 13.1 million native speakers
- Greek script
- FSI Category III · 44 weeks
- Official in 2 countries
Where Greek is spoken
Tap or hover over a country. Colours show the language's status, based on Unicode CLDR territory data (population estimates mix sources and years).
Top countries by speakers
- Greece · ΕλλάδαOfficial language · 10M (99%)
- Cyprus · ΚύπροςOfficial language · 1.3M (95%)
Key numbers
- Native (L1) speakers
- 13.1 million
- Source
- Ethnologue, via Wikidata · 2019
Greek at a glance
Greek (Modern Greek: ελληνικά, romanized: elliniká [eliniˈka] ; Ancient Greek: ἑλληνική, romanized: hellēnikḗ [helːɛːnikɛ́ː]) is an Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to the territories that have had populations of Greeks since antiquity: Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Turkey, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), southern Albania, and other regions of the Balkans, Caucasus, the Black Sea coast, and the Eastern Mediterranean. It has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning at least 3,400 years of written records. Its writing system is the Greek alphabet, which has been used for approximately 2,800 years; previously, Greek was recorded in writing systems such as Linear B and the Cypriot syllabary.
From the Wikipedia article Greek language (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Name in Greek
- Ελληνικά (Elliniká)
- Family
- Indo-EuropeanClassical Indo-EuropeanGraeco-PhrygianGreekSouth GreekCentral GreekKoineic GreekModern Koineic GreekNuclear Modern Greek
- Writing system
- Greek alphabet (24 letters)
- Direction
- Left to right
- Official in
- Greece, Cyprus
- Codes
- ISO 639-3
ell· Glottologmode1248· Q9129 - Writing sample
Όλοι οι άνθρωποι γεννιούνται ελεύθεροι και ίσοι στην αξιοπρέπεια και τα δικαιώματα. Είναι προικισμένοι με λογική και συνείδηση, και οφείλουν να συμπεριφέρονται μεταξύ τους με πνεύμα αδελφοσύνης.
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights…”
Linguistic profile
How hard is Greek for English speakers?
The US Foreign Service Institute puts Greek in Category III: about 44 weeks (1100 class hours) of full-time study to reach professional working proficiency.
Source: FSI language learning timelines. See all languages ranked: hardest · easiest.
Feature values from the World Atlas of Language Structures (WALS Online, CC BY 4.0).
The Greek script
Greek alphabet (24 letters). Tap a character to hear it (your device reads the letter name or sound).
Standard letters from Unicode CLDR exemplar characters.
Useful Greek phrases with pronunciation
Numbers 1–10
- ένα éna
- δύο dýo
- τρία tría
- τέσσερα téssera
- πέντε pénte
- έξι éxi
- επτά eptá
- οκτώ októ
- εννέα ennéa
- δέκα déka
Days of the week
- Mon Δευτέρα
- Tue Τρίτη
- Wed Τετάρτη
- Thu Πέμπτη
- Fri Παρασκευή
- Sat Σάββατο
- Sun Κυριακή
Everyday words
- water νερό neró
- cat γάτα gáta
- dog σκύλος skýlos
- coffee καφές kafés
- beer μπίρα bíra
- bread ψωμί psomí
- book βιβλίο vivlío
Phrases and words checked against Wiktionary; days and months from Unicode CLDR. Audio uses your browser's built-in Greek voice when available.
Dialects and varieties
Standard Modern Greek
Greece and Cyprus
Based mainly on southern dialects; written in the monotonic accent system since 1982.
Cypriot Greek
Cyprus
Keeps double consonants and has distinctive palatal sounds; “έν” for “είναι” (is).
Cretan
Crete
Famous for mantinades (rhyming couplets) and words such as “κοπέλι” (boy).
Pontic Greek
Historically the Black Sea coast of Turkey
A distinct variety, now spoken mainly by descendants in Greece.
Hear the dialects
Fun words, untranslatables and false friends
μεράκι
meráki
Doing something with soul, creativity and love, putting a piece of yourself into it.
φιλότιμο
filótimo
A sense of honour, duty and generosity towards others.
κέφι
kéfi
High spirits and joy, the mood that makes people dance.
False friends for English speakers
| Greek | Looks like | Actually means |
|---|---|---|
| ναι ne | nay (no) | yes |
Curious facts
- “Ναι” (ne) means yes, while “όχι” (óchi) means no, a classic trap for visitors.
- The Greek question mark looks like an English semicolon: Τι κάνεις; (How are you?)
- Greek has been written for about 3,400 years, from Mycenaean Linear B to today.
- English is full of Greek: alphabet (alpha + beta), democracy, philosophy, telephone, and most of medical vocabulary.
- Until 1976 Greece had two official registers, the formal Katharevousa and the popular Demotic; Demotic won.
Famous Greek-speaking voices
Singers & musicians
Writers & poets
Film & TV
Other famous figures
Descriptions from Wikidata; photos from Wikimedia Commons under the licences shown.
Greek culture now
Zorba the Greek
1946 novel by Nikos Kazantzakis
Rebetiko
Greek music genre
Dogtooth (film)
2009 film by Yorgos Lanthimos
Sirtaki
Type of Greek folkdance
Odyssey
Epic poem attributed to Homer
Never on Sunday
1960 film directed by Jules Dassin
Learn Greek on YouTube
Free lessons from teachers and channels with Greek courses. Videos load only when you press play.
The story of the language
Quick quiz: how well do you know Greek?
Where to learn Greek
The Endless Book
Read text you can understand, in the style of your favourite author and genre. About 30 languages.
LangMagicLangMagic Speak
Speaking lessons built around your topics, from materials you choose.
LangMagicLangMagic Meet
A virtual meeting platform built for language lessons, with follow-up exercises.
FreeWikivoyage Greek phrasebook
Free travel phrasebook with pronunciation guide
FreeWikibooks: Subject:Greek language
Free, open textbook
FreeOmniglot: Greek
Script, pronunciation and useful phrases
FreeWiktionary: Greek dictionary
Free multilingual dictionary
Sources
- Speaker numbers: Ethnologue, via Wikidata, 2019.
- Countries, populations, alphabets, days and months: Unicode CLDR 46.
- Classification: Glottolog 5.3. Grammar features: WALS Online.
- Introduction: Wikipedia, Greek language (CC BY-SA 4.0). People and culture: Wikipedia and Wikidata. Images: Wikimedia Commons.
- Writing sample: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1, from the Unicode UDHR collection. Phrases and words: Wiktionary. Difficulty: US Foreign Service Institute.
- Map: Natural Earth via world-atlas (public domain).