Coptic Small Letter Khi

It is a Coptic letter whose sound varies by dialect. Its name is khi, conventionally written kh in Latin transliteration. Sahidic often keeps it in Greek loanwords or uses it as a rare compact spelling of ⲕϩ, the two-letter sequence k plus h. Bohairic uses it for an aspirated k: a k pronounced with a noticeable puff of air.

In Coptic spellings of Arabic loanwords, ⲭ can also represent Arabic ك, the k sound, or خ, the rough sound made at the back of the throat.

Where did ⲭ come from?

Coptic writing adapted Greek letters to record Egyptian. Greek scribes rendered Egyptian names with Greek letters in the sixth century BCE. Egyptian common nouns and phrases appear in Greek letters by about 200 BCE; the earliest fully fledged Coptic texts overlap the third and fourth centuries CE.

Greek letters helped record Egyptian sounds, and additional signs from Demotic writing filled gaps where Greek letters were insufficient. ⲭ belongs to the Greek-derived core and descends from Greek χ. Coptic was used for literary, documentary, and Christian texts.

How do I type ⲭ without changing the letter?

Use an input method that supports Coptic. A Coptic keyboard or Unicode character picker can enter the letter. If it appears as a box or an unexpected shape, your font may lack Coptic support; that display problem does not change the character in the text.