Greek Handwriting: How to Read Handwritten Greek

Move from familiar printed letters to a small illustrated handwriting sample. Look at the whole word, then compare its individual strokes. This is an AI-generated teaching illustration, not a historical document or a sample collected from a real writer. People’s handwriting varies; these six examples are not a complete handwriting standard.

New to the Greek letters? Start with the complete Greek alphabet guide: all 24 letters, their names and how they sound.

Read the image before opening the key

Open the full-size image

Read each row from left to right. Write the six words in the same order, retaining every accent you can see. If a shape is unclear, mark it and compare it after opening the transcription. The image description avoids giving away the words; the text key provides the complete accessible version.

Compare three visible features

• The middle-left word starts with ψ. Compare its descending central stroke with φ in the middle-right and bottom-right words; do not identify a letter from one stroke alone.
• The middle-right and bottom-right words end in ς, the final form of sigma. The bottom-left word starts with σ. The position in the word helps distinguish them.
• The five words with more than one syllable have a written accent. The one-syllable word φως has none in this sample. Copy the mark as well as the letters.

Check your reading

1. What is the top-right word?
2. Which word begins with ψ?
3. Which two words end in final sigma ς?
4. Does φως have an accent mark in the image?

Use the words outside the grid

Read the original sentence below, then locate its two nouns in the image. Write the sentence once in your own handwriting and once in printed letters. Compare spelling and accents rather than trying to imitate every pen stroke.

Πίνω νερό στο σπίτι.

I drink water at home.

Cover the key and read the six words again in a different order. If a letter remains unclear, use the printed version to check it; guessing confidently is not the goal. This page does not recognise or grade your handwriting.

Continue reading Greek

Practise σ and ς · Read without transliteration