Shop sign 
Armenia
Arches and hooks
- Lots of u- and n-like arches side by side.
- Armenian has capital letters; Georgian does not.
- Signs often add Russian or English below.
Languages on signs by country
Every country writes a little differently: a script of its own, or a shared alphabet with its own letters. These cards show the tells for 38 countries, each with real street photos ringed on the writing.
Test yourself: play Language Spotter → Shop sign 
Shop sign 
Bangladesh
A top line with triangles
- Look for the small triangles: Devanagari has none.
- Letters are rounder at the bottom than Hindi letters.
- Shop signs are often painted in bright colours and crowded together.
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Bulgaria
Cyrillic with ъ inside words
- ъ inside a word points to Bulgaria.
- щ is very common, as in къща.
- No Serbian ђ, ћ or џ.
Shop sign 
Cambodia
Curly letters with hats
- Look for the small curls on top of letters like ក and ខ.
- Lines of Khmer text are taller than Thai or Lao because of the letters below.
- Shop signs often repeat the name in English.
Shop sign 
Croatia
Č, ć, š, ž and đ
- Both č and ć: Czech and Slovak have only č.
- ije inside words is a Croatian habit.
- Words like ulica, Trgovina and Ljekarna.
Shop sign 
Czech Republic
Ř, ě and ů
- ů with a ring on top is only Czech.
- ř is very common, as in Dvořák.
- Words like Potraviny, ulice and náměstí.
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Denmark
Æ, ø, å and vej
- Streets end in -vej or -gade.
- Companies end in ApS or A/S.
- Words like Bageri, Tilbud and Apotek.
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Estonia
Õ, the Estonian letter
- õ in a Finnish-looking word means Estonia.
- ü is common here and never used in Finnish.
- Words like tänav, Pood and Apteek.
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Finland
Ä, ö and double letters
- Double vowels and consonants: katu, Kauppa, Apteekki.
- Almost no å, b, c or f in Finnish words.
- Finnish and Swedish on one sign is typical of Finland.
Shop sign 
Georgia
Round, curly letters
- Letters look like bubbles and curls, all about the same height.
- Rounder than Armenian, which has more arches and hooks.
- Signs often repeat the name in English or Russian.
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Germany
Ä, ö, ü and ß
- ß, as in Straße, is only German.
- Long words like Bäckerei or Apotheke.
- sch and ei appear everywhere.
Shop sign 
Greece
Σ, Π, Λ and Δ
- Σ and Ω do not exist in Cyrillic.
- Lower-case Greek is round: α, ε, ς.
- Street signs are often in Greek with a Latin version below.
Shop sign 
Hungary
Ő and ű, the double accents
- ő and ű are only Hungarian.
- gy and sz appear everywhere, as in Magyar.
- Words like utca, Bolt and Gyógyszertár.
Shop sign 
Iceland
Þ and ð
- þ or ð means Iceland, every time.
- Accents on every vowel: á, é, í, ó, ú, ý.
- Streets end in -gata or -vegur.
Shop sign 
India
A line along the top
- The top line joins the letters of a word, like in भारत.
- India has many scripts: in the south you see round Tamil, Telugu or Kannada letters.
- English is everywhere on Indian shop signs.
Shop sign 
Israel
Square letters, right to left
- Look for blocky letters like ש, מ and ה.
- Few dots: that rules out Arabic.
- Street signs often show Hebrew, Arabic and English.
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Japan
Kanji with rounded kana
- Look for the small loop of の, the most common hiragana.
- Katakana (straight, simple strokes) is used for foreign words on shop signs.
- Kanji alone could be Chinese: the kana tells you it is Japan.
Shop sign 
Laos
Like Thai, but rounder
- Letters are soft and bubbly, like ລ, ວ and ສ.
- Lao has fewer letters than Thai, so words look plainer.
- Signs often add English or French underneath.
Shop sign 
Latvia
Lines over the vowels
- ā and ē with a flat line mean Latvia.
- ņ and ļ with a small comma underneath.
- Words like iela, Veikals and Aptieka.
Shop sign 
Lithuania
Ė and tails on the vowels
- ė is only Lithuanian.
- į and ų with tails rule out Polish.
- Words like gatvė, Vaistinė and Parduotuvė.
Shop sign 
Mongolia
Cyrillic with ө and ү
- Spot ө or ү and it is Mongolia.
- Long words with double vowels, like Улаанбаатар.
- Some signs also show the old vertical Mongolian script.
Shop sign 
Nepal
Devanagari in the mountains
- The same top line as Hindi joins the letters.
- Company signs often end in प्रा. लि. (Pvt. Ltd.).
- Narrow streets, brick buildings and hills in the background point to Nepal.
Shop sign 
North Macedonia
Cyrillic with ѓ and ќ
- ќ and ѓ (with an accent on top) mean North Macedonia.
- ј, љ and њ are shared with Serbian.
- No ы or э: that rules out Russia.
Shop sign 
Norway
Æ, ø, å and AS
- Streets end in -veien or -gata (Danish: vej, gade).
- Companies end in AS (Danish: ApS or A/S).
- ø rules out Sweden and Finland.
Shop sign 
Poland
Ł, ą, ę and sz
- ł (l with a slash) is the strongest clue.
- ą and ę have a small tail underneath.
- Words like Sklep, ulica and Apteka.
Shop sign 
Portugal
Ã, õ and ção
- ão and ção are the strongest clues.
- lh and nh, as in Coelho and Vinho.
- Words like Rua, Loja and Pastelaria.
Shop sign 
Romania
Ș and ț with a comma
- ă (a with a cup) is very common, as in Brutărie and Băcănie.
- ț is only Romanian.
- Words like Strada, Farmacie and Magazin.
Shop sign 
Russia
Cyrillic with ы and э
- Look for ы, as in Продукты.
- No Mongolian ө or ү, no Serbian ђ or ћ.
- Common shop words: Магазин, Аптека, Продукты.
Shop sign 
Serbia
Cyrillic with ђ, ћ and џ
- ћ and ђ are only Serbian.
- ј (a Latin-looking j) is used in Serbian and Macedonian, not Russian.
- Seeing Cyrillic and Latin on the same street is typical of Serbia.
Shop sign 
Slovakia
Ä, ô and ľ
- ô (o with a hat) and ľ (l with a tick) point to Slovakia.
- No ř and no ring on the u: that rules out Czechia.
- Words like Potraviny, ulica and námestie.
Shop sign 
South Korea
Circles and lines in blocks
- Circles inside the characters are the giveaway: Chinese and Japanese rarely have them.
- Each block is one syllable, like 한 or 국.
- Shop fronts are often crowded with big Hangul signs, one above another.
Shop sign 
Sri Lanka
Round letters, no top line
- Letters like ශ and ල look like loops and curls.
- No top line: that rules out Hindi, Nepali and Bengali.
- Official signs often show three scripts: Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Shop sign 
Sweden
Å, ä and ö
- ä and ö with å together mean Sweden.
- Finnish has ä and ö too, but almost never å.
- Words like gatan, vägen and Apotek.
Shop sign 
Taiwan
Chinese characters, no kana
- Characters like 臺, 灣 and 門 keep their full, many-stroke forms.
- Shop signs often run top to bottom on narrow vertical boards.
- No の or ン anywhere: that rules out Japan.
Shop sign 
Thailand
Little loops on the letters
- Look for the small circles at the start of letters like ก, ด and บ.
- Tall marks stack above the letters, like in ที่.
- Thai is sharper and more angular than Lao, its close cousin.
Shop sign 
Turkey
Ğ and the dotless ı
- ğ (g with a little cup) is only Turkish.
- ş has a cedilla underneath; Romanian ș has a comma.
- Words like Caddesi, Sokak and Mağazası.
Shop sign 
United Arab Emirates
Arabic, right to left
- Flowing, joined letters with dots, like دبي.
- Arabic and English side by side is very typical of the UAE.
- Clean, modern streets and glass towers are another clue.
Shop sign 
Vietnam
Latin letters full of accents
- Letters ư and ơ have a little horn on the right.
- Đ with a bar through it is very common.
- Short words with spaces, like Phở Bò or Cửa Hàng.
