Script guide › Latin
Latvian vs Lithuanian
Latvian and Lithuanian sit in the same corner of the writing-system map — Grafle's Latin group — and players mix them up constantly. Here's the fastest way to tell them apart.
The tell
Latvian stretches vowels with macrons (ā, ē, ī); Lithuanian dots and hooks them: ė, ą, ę. Both write ū, so don't lean on that one.
Side by side
Latvian
Visi cilvēki piedzimst brīvi un vienlīdzīgi savā cieņā un tiesībās.
Sveiki, kā jums klājas?
Rīga ir skaista pilsēta.
Latvian's own tells
- Macrons (ā, ē, ī) are the Latvian signature — Lithuanian uses hooks instead.
- Comma-below consonants like ņ (cieņā).
On signs in:
- Latvia
Lithuanian
Visi žmonės gimsta laisvi ir lygūs savo orumu.
Labas! Šiek tiek pavargęs, bet viskas gerai.
Ką pasėsi, tą ir pjausi.
Lithuanian's own tells
- Dotted ė — unique to Lithuanian — plus the nasal hooks ą, ę, į, ų. (The barred ū it shares with Latvian.)
- Words ending -as, -is, -us (vyras, miestas).
On signs in:
- Lithuania