A Practical Guide To Reading And Writing Armenian Cursive
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Learning to read and write Armenian cursive is a necessary step for anyone studying the language.
Printed Armenian letters look very different from the handwritten letters you’ll see in real life.
Native speakers use cursive for everyday notes, personal letters, and shopping lists.
Without knowing how to read it, you’ll have a hard time understanding everyday handwriting in Armenia and the diaspora.
This guide will walk you through the basics of the Armenian cursive script.
Table of Contents:
What is Armenian cursive?
Armenian cursive is known as shghagir (շղագիր).
The word shghagir literally translates to “slanted writing” or “italic script”.
It’s a continuous writing style where many lowercase letters connect to one another.
This flowing style makes handwriting much faster than drawing individual block letters.
Most printed Armenian books and digital texts use a rigid, upright font called bologragir.
When Armenians pick up a pen, they naturally switch to the softer, connected shghagir style.
The most dramatic letter changes
Many Armenian letters look exactly like their printed counterparts, just slightly slanted.
However, a few letters transform completely when written by hand.
Knowing these specific letter changes is the fastest way to learn how to read handwriting.
Here’s a table of the letters that change the most when written in cursive.
| Print Letter (Upper / Lower) | Letter Name | Cursive Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Գ / գ | Gim | Looks like a backward number ‘3’ or a cursive English ‘z’. |
| Ձ / ձ | Dza | Loses its sharp top and resembles a cursive English ‘g’ or ‘y’. |
| Շ / շ | Sha | Looks exactly like a cursive English ‘w’. |
| Ջ / ջ | Je | Turns into a single looped line, completely dropping the flat top. |
| Ց / ց | Tso | The long vertical line loops under the baseline like an English ‘j’. |
| Ք / ք | Ke | Written with a wide, flowing bottom loop that connects smoothly to the next letter. |
Tips for reading Armenian handwriting
Reading native handwriting takes time because everyone has a unique personal style.
Start by looking for the most obvious, recognizable letters in a word.
Letters like ա (ayb), ո (vo), and ս (se) barely change in cursive.
Use context clues to figure out the messy or tightly connected letters.
Pay close attention to the baseline of the text.
Letters like ր (re) and տ (tiun) will always dip slightly below the baseline.
Don’t worry if you can’t read a word immediately.
Native speakers also have a hard time reading each other’s messy handwriting sometimes.
How to practice writing Armenian cursive
You need special lined paper or practice sheets to get the proportions right.
Armenian cursive relies heavily on correct heights and depths.
Focus on writing the lowercase letters first.
Uppercase letters are rarely connected to the rest of the word in standard Armenian handwriting.
Start by practicing writing your own name.
Then, practice common short words to get a feel for how the letters link together.
Բարև
Write this simple word repeatedly without lifting your pen between the lowercase letters.
Eastern vs. Western Armenian cursive
You might wonder if cursive changes depending on the dialect you’re learning.
The physical shapes of the cursive letters are exactly the same in both dialects.
A native speaker from Yerevan (Eastern) and a diaspora speaker from Beirut (Western) write using the exact same script.
The only difference is how those written letters are pronounced.
For example, the letter բ is pronounced as ‘b’ in Eastern Armenian and ‘p’ in Western Armenian.
Your handwriting practice will be universally understood no matter which region you’re focusing on.
