Computed, not transcribed
Letters and code points come from the Unicode Greek and Coptic chart; the code point column is derived from the character itself at render time, so glyph and code can not disagree.
Greek Alphabet
All 24 Greek letters in upper and lower case with their names, Unicode code points, LaTeX commands and what each one conventionally stands for in maths and science.
Letters
24
Unicode block
U+0370–03FF
Latin look-alikes
14
Distinct shapes
10
The Greek alphabet has 24 letters, from alpha (Α α) to omega (Ω ω). 14 of the capitals look just like Latin ones.
Verified
Greek Alphabet — in full
24 of 24 rows
| # | Upper | Lower | Name | Unicode | LaTeX | Conventional meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Α | α | Alpha | U+0391 / U+03B1 | \alpha | Significance level; angle |
| 2 | Β | β | Beta | U+0392 / U+03B2 | \beta | Regression coefficient; type II error |
| 3 | Γ | γ | Gamma | U+0393 / U+03B3 | \gamma | Lorentz factor; gamma function |
| 4 | Δ | δ | Delta | U+0394 / U+03B4 | \delta | Difference or change in a quantity |
| 5 | Ε | ε | Epsilon | U+0395 / U+03B5 | \epsilon | An arbitrarily small positive quantity |
| 6 | Ζ | ζ | Zeta | U+0396 / U+03B6 | \zeta | Riemann zeta function |
| 7 | Η | η | Eta | U+0397 / U+03B7 | \eta | Efficiency; viscosity |
| 8 | Θ | θ | Theta | U+0398 / U+03B8 | \theta | Angle in trigonometry and polar coordinates |
| 9 | Ι | ι | Iota | U+0399 / U+03B9 | \iota | Inclusion map; an infinitesimal amount |
| 10 | Κ | κ | Kappa | U+039A / U+03BA | \kappa | Curvature; thermal conductivity |
| 11 | Λ | λ | Lambda | U+039B / U+03BB | \lambda | Wavelength; eigenvalue; decay constant |
| 12 | Μ | μ | Mu | U+039C / U+03BC | \mu | Micro prefix; population mean; friction |
| 13 | Ν | ν | Nu | U+039D / U+03BD | \nu | Frequency of a wave |
| 14 | Ξ | ξ | Xi | U+039E / U+03BE | \xi | A random variable or auxiliary coordinate |
| 15 | Ο | ο | Omicron | U+039F / U+03BF | o | Rarely used — too close to the Latin O |
| 16 | Π | π | Pi | U+03A0 / U+03C0 | \pi | Circle constant; capital Π is a product |
| 17 | Ρ | ρ | Rho | U+03A1 / U+03C1 | \rho | Density; correlation coefficient |
| 18 | Σ | σ | Sigma | U+03A3 / U+03C3 | \sigma | Standard deviation; capital Σ is a sum |
| 19 | Τ | τ | Tau | U+03A4 / U+03C4 | \tau | Time constant; torque; 2π |
| 20 | Υ | υ | Upsilon | U+03A5 / U+03C5 | \upsilon | The upsilon meson in particle physics |
| 21 | Φ | φ | Phi | U+03A6 / U+03C6 | \phi | Golden ratio; magnetic flux; phase angle |
| 22 | Χ | χ | Chi | U+03A7 / U+03C7 | \chi | The chi-squared test statistic |
| 23 | Ψ | ψ | Psi | U+03A8 / U+03C8 | \psi | Quantum-mechanical wave function |
| 24 | Ω | ω | Omega | U+03A9 / U+03C9 | \omega | Angular frequency; capital Ω is the ohm |
How to read this table
The “Upper” and “Lower” columns show both forms. In formulas the capital usually stands for an operator (Σ sum, Π product, Δ difference) and the lower-case form for a quantity.
The LaTeX column gives the command that produces the letter in typeset maths — capitals take a capitalised command, so \Sigma rather than \sigma.
The Unicode code point helps when you need to enter the letter directly in code or in a document.
Position in the Unicode block
- Upper case
- Lower case
Hover the chart to read the precise values.
The two rows run in parallel exactly 32 apart. The only irregularity appears at sigma, where Unicode inserts the additional final sigma ς.
Which field claims which letter
Hover the chart to read the precise values.
Each letter is assigned to the field where its convention is most firmly established. Many carry further meanings besides — λ, for instance, is an eigenvalue in linear algebra.
Capitals with a Latin twin
Hover the chart to read the precise values.
14 of the 24 capitals are indistinguishable from Latin letters. That is why formulas use almost only the 10 distinct shapes such as Δ, Σ, Ω and Φ.
How this table is built
Sources & verification
Last checked against the sources on August 6, 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
How many letters does the Greek alphabet have?
24 — from alpha to omega. In addition, sigma has a second lower-case form, the final sigma ς, used at the end of a word.
Why does sigma have two lower-case forms?
In Greek, ς appears at the end of a word and σ everywhere else. Unicode encodes both separately, which is why the block uses one extra code point at that position.
Why does mathematics use Greek letters?
Because the Latin alphabet is too small for the number of quantities involved, and because a different script visually separates constants and parameters from variables. The tradition goes back to the reception of Greek mathematics in Europe.
Why do you rarely see Α, Β or Ε in formulas?
Because they are indistinguishable from A, B and E. 14 of the 24 capitals have a Latin twin and are avoided for that reason.
How do I type Greek letters?
The simplest way is to copy them from the table. In LaTeX use the command in the LaTeX column, in Office applications type the Unicode code followed by Alt + C, and on Linux press Ctrl + Shift + U and enter the code point.
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