Writing on signs in Latvia
Lines over the vowels
Latvian puts a line over long vowels: ā, ē, ī, ū, and a comma under ķ, ļ, ņ and ģ.
- ā and ē with a flat line mean Latvia.
- ņ and ļ with a small comma underneath.
- Words like iela, Veikals and Aptieka.
11 photos, grouped by the clue they show.
Key clue Shop sign 7
Key clue Street sign 4
Latvia: what its writing looks like
Latvian puts a flat line over long vowels: ā, ē, ī and ū. It also has a small comma under ķ, ļ, ņ and ģ.
Streets are iela, shops Veikals and pharmacies Aptieka.
Latvian is used across Latvia, from Riga to the countryside. Russian is common on signs too.
Look-alikes: how to tell them apart
Lithuania
EstoniaLithuanian uses tails under its vowels and ė. Estonian has õ and ä.
Questions about the writing in Latvia
Which letters are typical of Latvian?
Vowels with a line on top, like ā and ē, and consonants with a comma below, like ķ and ņ.
What does iela mean?
Street.