Coptic Small Letter Pi

Coptic pi is the letter that writes the p sound.

On its own, ⲡ is not a word; the surrounding letters form the Coptic word and its meaning. The sequence ⲡⲓ- also has a grammatical role. In Bohairic, it marks a definite noun (“the”); in Sahidic, it can be a short demonstrative attached to the next word (“this”). The dialect and sentence determine which reading fits.

Coptic uses Greek letters plus signs borrowed from Demotic, an older Egyptian script. Greek-letter spellings of Egyptian appear in papyri from the first and second centuries CE; ostraca (pottery pieces used for writing) around 150–225 CE pair Egyptian words with Old Coptic spellings. In magical and astrological papyri, added vowel letters helped record spoken invocations. By the third century CE, a functional Coptic writing system carried Christian scripture. After 641 CE, Arabic increasingly displaced Coptic in government and daily life, while Coptic remained in church use.

Is ⲡ the same as π?

No. ⲡ is Coptic; π is Greek.

Coptic ⲡ belongs in Coptic writing; π belongs in Greek text or mathematics. Their similar shapes do not make them interchangeable.