The Latin letter gamma, Ɣ (minuscule: ɣ), is a letter used in some orthographies based on the Latin alphabet. Its shape, in uppercase and lowercase, is based on the lowercase shape of the Greek letter gamma (γ). Unlike the Greek gamma, the Latin gamma may have serifs.

Gamma
Ɣ ɣ
Upper and lower case Latin gamma
Usage
Writing systemLatin script
TypeAlphabetic and Logographic
In UnicodeU+0194, U+0263
History
Development
Pictogram of a Camel (speculated origin)
Other
Writing directionLeft-to-Right
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Latin gamma is used to represent a voiced velar fricative, in the International Phonetic Alphabet, and in the alphabets of several African languages such as Yom,[1] Dagbani, Dinka, Kabiyé, and Ewe, some Berber languages using the Berber Latin alphabet, and sometimes in the romanization of Pashto. It is also used in the Wakhi language's Latin alphabet.

Lowercase Latin gamma is used in the International Phonetic Alphabet to represent the voiced velar fricative. A lowercase Latin gamma that lies above the baseline rather than crossing it (ɤ, called "ram's horns"), represents the close-mid back unrounded vowel. In certain nonstandard variations of the IPA the uppercase form is used. The lowercase Latin gamma can also be used in contexts (such as chemical or molecule nomenclature) where gamma must not be confused with the letter y, which can occur in some computer typefaces.

Use on computers

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Character information
Preview Ɣ ɣ
Unicode name LATIN CAPITAL LETTER GAMMA LATIN SMALL LETTER GAMMA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex
Unicode 404 U+0194 611 U+0263
UTF-8 198 148 C6 94 201 163 C9 A3
Numeric character reference Ɣ Ɣ ɣ ɣ
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References

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  1. ^ Alphabet des langues nationales béninoises. Ministère de l’Alphabétisation et de la Promotion des langues nationales, Centre national de linguistique appliquée, Benin. 2008. OL 25931062M.