Combining Comma Above

It marks the preceding letter; the writing system determines its meaning. In Ancient Greek, psili, or smooth breathing, sits on an initial vowel or diphthong and shows that no breathy h sound begins the word. The recognizable form belongs to the Hellenistic breathing system, dated to the second century BCE. A 2019 scholarly review traces the traditional attribution to Aristophanes to one doubtful late source, so a single inventor is uncertain.

The breathing system helped readers, especially outsiders, pronounce unfamiliar Greek. Early papyri used breathings rarely; later manuscript practice made them routine. Since the 1982 reform, standard Modern Greek spelling has omitted them, while polytonic spelling remains in Ancient Greek study, liturgy, and scholarship. Church Slavonic uses the mark over consonants for palatalization (softening); Old Permic also records it, though its sound value is uncertain.

Why does the mark move or stack differently?

It attaches after its base, while the font decides where it sits. Type it after the letter it modifies. By itself it is isolated; some fonts show a dotted circle as a stand-in for the missing base. Different fonts can anchor it at different heights or positions without changing the character.

In Greek, when a breathing mark combines with an acute or grave accent, shaping places them side by side, not in a vertical stack. The spacing Greek psili ᾿ is its spacing counterpart. Greek koronis ̓ may look identical; it is retained for compatibility, while this combining form is preferred for general use.