Ge'ez script

The Ge'ez script (Ge'ez: ግዕዝ, Gəʿəz), also known as Ethiopic, is a writing system native to Eastern Africa. It is the alphabet used in several languages of Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Form

The script is used as an abugida (alphasyllabary) for languages such as Amharic and Tigrinya. It originally was an abjad, wtriting consonants only. In Amharic and Tigrinya, the script is often called fidäl (ፊደል), meaning "script" or "alphabet".

Distribution

Ge'ez script was first used to write the Ge'ez language. Ge'ez is now the liturgical language of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and Beta Israel, the Jewish community in Ethiopia.