Greek Alphabet

[DanielleAnn]

Hey guys,
I'm new here. I am pledging this semester. Does anyone have and tips on learning the Greek Alphabet. I can't learn it and it's driving me crazy. Thanks for you help

[TechAPhi]

As far as tips go, I don't really have any. Our new member educator had a song that helped us learn it. Beyond that my advice: memorize, memorize, memorize.

Knowing the pronunciations helps.

The names and pronunciations are given below. The pronunciations vary in certain parts of the country. Check out the URL below to see all the symbols. I am unable to provide you with some of them as they are unavailable on a standard keyboard.

Learn the Greek alphabet -- Click here!


Good luck!!

Letter Name Pronunciation

A Alpha al-fah
B Beta bay-tah
[symbol for gamma] Gamma gam-ah
[symbol for delta] Delta del-tah
E Epsilon ep-si-lon
Z Zeta zay-tah
[symbol for eta] Eta ay-tah
[symbol for theta] Theta thay-tah
I Iota eye-o-tah
K Kappa cap-pah
[symbol for lambda] Lambda lamb-dah
M Mu mew
N Nu new
[symbol for xi] Xi z-eye (or zee)
O Omicron om-e-cron
[symbol for pi] Pi pie
P Rho row
[symbol for sigma] sigma sig-mah
T Tau taw
[symbol for upsilon] Upsilon oop-si-lon
[symbol for Phi] Phi fee OR fie
X Chi k-eye
Y Psi sigh
[symbol for omega] Omega o-may-ga

Learn the Greek alphabet -- Click here!

[Optimist Prime]

go on what it looks like
the first four you should know then its
EZ HO
I K A M
N E O N
P E T Y
then for phi chi psi omega just think of the teenage mutant ninja turtles

The phi=staff
Chi= swords
psi= psi
omega=nunchuks

[SigPiTO]

The way I found that worked for me is memorizing them in fives (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon; etc.). Just repeat the five until you rememeber them and then move onto the next five. once you memorized the fives, mesh them together into the whole alphabet five after five (Hope that made sense). Another easier way to memorize the alphabet is to remember fraternity and sorority names and look at their letters. Hopefully this will help you out and good luck in pledging.

Kris
Sig Pi

[TrojanGirl]

My old boyfriend taught them to me by setting them to the tune of the theme song from Sanford and Son.. you laugh, but it works!

Trojan Girl

[OnePlus69Is70]

I thought this might amuse some people. My major is Latin and Ancient Greek. This is how Plato and Socrates actually pronounced the letters (pronounce ae like the a in bath):

al-pah
bae-ta
gam-ma
del-tah
e psilon (originally two seperate words, e and psilon)
dzae-ta
aet-ta
tae-ta
ee-ota
kap-pa
lamb-da
mu" (like a u in French)
nu" (same u)
ksee
o micron (two seperate words- it means little o)
pee
hrow (pronounce the h)
sing-ma
tao
u" psilon (u from mu, two seperate words)
pee
kee
psee
o mega (two words- the big o)

Yes, phi and pi, kappa and chi, and theta and tau sounded alike. There was a difference in the pronunciation, but it's not one that native English speakers can readily distinguish.

[shadokat]

We made up a song that I have no idea how it really goes anymore, but it helped us. Also, write it, and maybe you'll remember from writing it.

We learned them in a song that was like a cheer. Ill try to do it....

Alpha, Beta, Gamma , Delta, Epsilon, Ze-eta, Eta.
Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu Nu!
Xi (Xye), Omicron, Piii...Rho, Sigma Tau, UPSILON! (Like going OOps-ilon really high).
(Shout) PHI (fye), CHI, PSI...OMEGA!


Probably didnt help much, sorry

[Eirene_DGP]

I agree with SigPiTo. The easiest way is to memorize by fives. Yeah make sure you learn them b/c it is aggravating to Greeks when fellow Greeks come up and say, "What org are you in". I am thinking to myself, weren't you supposed to learn the greek alphabet during pledge???

[DanielleAnn]

Thanks for the help....Seeing it and sying it over and over is helping alot. I am almost there!!

[Kevlar281]

Being the nerd that I am, I found this list of mnemonics to help me memorize. I was able to memorize it in fifteen minutes with this technique. Hope this helps.

Alpha – All
Beta – Bigots
Gamma – Get
Delta – Diarrhea
Epsilon – Eventually

Zeta – Zorro
Eta – Ate
Theta –THe
Iota - Ice
Kappa – Kap(pa)

Lamda – Let’s
Mu - Munch
Nu - Nuts
Xi – EXcessively
Omikron – Okay?

Pi - Pigs
Rho – Really
Sigma – Stink
Tau - Terribly

Upsilon - Under
Phi - Five
Chi - CHairs
Psi – PSychiatrists
Omega – End

[SigkapAlumWSU]

Originally posted by UMgirl
We learned them in a song that was like a cheer. Ill try to do it....

Alpha, Beta, Gamma , Delta, Epsilon, Ze-eta, Eta.
Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu Nu!
Xi (Xye), Omicron, Piii...Rho, Sigma Tau, UPSILON! (Like going OOps-ilon really high).
(Shout) PHI (fye), CHI, PSI...OMEGA!


Probably didnt help much, sorry

This song was sung during rush but at the end we added "let me here you say, gotta love those greeks, let me hear you say, gota love those greeks.." and then we would sing the alphabet again.. and I remember everytime anyone had to write down any greek letters, you would hear them singing this song under their breath... it was the cutest thing! I still do it too!

[TechAPhi]

LOL Kevlar281 ! I love your mnemonics! Hilarious!

Originally posted by Kevlar281
Being the nerd that I am, I found this list of mnemonics to help me memorize. I was able to memorize it in fifteen minutes with this technique. Hope this helps.

[DeltAlum]

Short attention span.

I learned them in fours. To dumb to handle fives, I guess.

Point is, I do think it helps to learn them in shorter groups.

[SAEalumnus]

I learned it in groups of fours and by comparing the Greek and English alphabets. It went something like this...


(kind of like "A, B, C, D"... well okay, "A, B, G, D")
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
Delta

(the later three rhyme)
Epsilon
Zeta
Eta
Theta

(similar to English alphabet... I, [no J], K, L, M)
Iota
Kappa
Lambda
Mu

(... N, O, P.. except for the Xi anyway)
Nu
Xi
Omicron
Pi

([no Q], R, S, T, "U" [looks more like a Y])
Rho
Sigma
Tau
Upsilon

(first three rhyme, omega is the end of the Greek alphabet)
Phi
Chi
Psi
Omega