Georgian scripts

People in Georgia use three ways to write.

The first way is called Asomtavruli. It has round shapes.

It is a very old script. Some letters even have birds on them!

The second way is called Nuskhuri. These letters are slanted. They help people write much faster.

The third way is called Mkhedruli. This is the way people write today. It is used for most books. These scripts are a special part of Georgia.

People in Georgia use three writing systems. These are called Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri, and Mkhedruli.

They all read from left to right. They also use the same letter names and order.

Asomtavruli is the oldest script. Its name means "capital letters."

The letters have round shapes. Some look very decorative. In old books, artists added birds or fish to the letters.

Today, the church uses this script for holy texts.

Nuskhuri is the second script. It appeared in the 9th century. These letters are slanted to the right. They have sharper shapes than Asomtavruli. This helps people write much faster.

Mkhedruli is the third script. It was once used for royal papers. Now, it is the main way people write in Georgia.

These scripts are a special part of Georgian life. In 2016, they were named a world treasure by UNESCO. This shows how much people value their writing history.

The Georgian language uses three beautiful writing systems. These scripts are Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri, and Mkhedruli.

Even though they look different, they share the same letter names. They also follow the same alphabetical order. All three scripts are written horizontally from left to right.

Today, Mkhedruli is the standard script for modern Georgian. The other two scripts are used by the Georgian Orthodox Church. They appear in ceremonial religious texts and art. This living culture is a very special treasure. In 2016, UNESCO added these scripts to its list of world heritage.

Asomtavruli is the oldest of the three scripts. Its name means "capital letters."

Some people also call it Mrgvlovani, which means "rounded." This is because the letters have round shapes. In the past, these letters were all the same height. Later, they began to have parts that go above or below the line.

Artists often made these letters very decorative. They used bright colors like cinnabar ink. They even added images of birds or fish to the letters.

Some styles even let small letters sit inside larger ones.

Nuskhuri is the second script to appear. It began to grow around the 9th century.

The name Nuskhuri means "inventory" or "schedule." These letters look different from the rounded Asomtavruli. They are more angular and slanted to the right. This change helped people write manuscripts much faster.

Sometimes, writers used Asomtavruli letters for titles in Nuskhuri books. This special mix is called Khutsuri, which means "clerical."

It was used mostly for stories about holy people.

The history of these scripts is a big mystery. Scholars do not agree on who first designed them.

The oldest known version is Asomtavruli from the 5th century. Many believe the scripts grew during the spread of Christianity in Iberia. This happened between the time of King Mirian III and the year 430. Some old legends say King Pharnavaz I invented them in the 3rd century BC. However, most historians think this is just a legend. Other scholars wonder if Armenian clerics helped create them. One person, Mesrop Mashtots, is often linked to this history.

These scripts are used by many different groups of people. Modern Georgian uses a 33-letter alphabet.

Other related languages use different amounts of letters. For example, Mingrelian uses 36 letters.

Laz uses 35 letters, including one from the Greek alphabet. The Svan language also uses Georgian letters.

The way these letters are shaped shows how much the culture has changed. From old royal charters to modern street signs, the scripts are everywhere. They connect the history of Georgia to the present day.

The Georgian scripts consist of three distinct writing systems used for the Georgian language. These systems are known as Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri, and Mkhedruli.

While they appear very different, they share identical letter names and alphabetical order. All three scripts are written horizontally from left to right.

Today, Mkhedruli serves as the standard script for modern Georgian and related Kartvelian languages. The older Asomtavruli and Nuskhuri scripts are preserved by the Georgian Orthodox Church. They appear in ceremonial religious texts and sacred iconography. This living tradition was recognized by UNESCO in 2016 as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Asomtavruli is the oldest of the three scripts, dating back to at least the 5th century. The name means "capital letters," but it is also called Mrgvlovani, meaning "rounded."

Early Asomtavruli letters were all the same height and used mostly straight lines. Most letters met at right angles, though the letter jani (Ⴟ) featured acute angles.

From the 7th century, the script evolved to include ascenders and descenders. This means some parts of the letters now extend above or below the main line. Artists also developed decorative styles like "limb-flowery" or "Curly" forms. In these styles, smaller letters might even be written inside larger ones.

Nuskhuri emerged around the 9th century as a graphic variant of Asomtavruli. Its name translates to "inventory" or "schedule."

These letters are more angular and slant toward the right. This specific shape allowed scribes to write manuscripts much more quickly.

In many religious manuscripts, writers combined the two scripts. This combination is called Khutsuri, which means "clerical."

In this style, Nuskhuri was used for the main text, while Asomtavruli provided illuminated capitals for titles. This helped mark the beginning of new chapters or important sections. This method was especially common in hagiography, which is the writing of lives of saints.

Determining the exact origins of these scripts remains a complex scholarly debate. No full agreement exists regarding who designed them or what influenced the process. Many scholars link the script's creation to the Christianization of Iberia. This likely occurred between the reign of King Mirian III and the year 430. An Armenian tradition suggests the cleric Mesrop Mashtots created the Georgian alphabet. Some historians, like Hrachia Acharian, support this view. However, many Georgian scholars reject this, viewing it as a later addition to historical records.

Other theories explore different cultural influences on the alphabet's design. Some researchers believe the script was inspired by the Greek alphabet. This is supported by the alphabetical order and the numeric values assigned to the letters.

Others suggest Semitic influences, such as Aramaic, might have played a role. There are even suggestions that pre-Christian Georgian clan markers inspired specific letter shapes. A Georgian legend even claims King Pharnavaz I invented the script in the 3rd century BC. Most modern historians treat this account as a legend because there is no archaeological proof.

The Georgian alphabet has seen changes in its letter count over time. Originally, the alphabet consisted of 38 letters. The modern Georgian alphabet now uses 33 letters, as five have become obsolete.

The number of letters varies when used for other Kartvelian languages. Mingrelian uses 36 letters, including two specific to Mingrelian and Svan.

Laz uses 35 letters, incorporating one letter borrowed from Greek. Svan is not commonly written, but it uses Georgian letters supplemented by diacritics for its many vowels.

These scripts connect the ancient past to modern daily life. While Asomtavruli and Nuskhuri remain tied to the church, Mkhedruli is everywhere. You can see the script on modern street signs and in official documents.

The evolution from royal charters to digital text shows the resilience of the Georgian language. The scripts serve as a visual record of Georgia's history, religion, and cultural identity. From the 5th-century inscriptions to today's urban signs, the letters continue to shape how people communicate.