The Veso Bey alphabet was an alternative way to write Albanian that was discoved during the 19th century. It is also known as the Gjirokastër alphabet, or Alfabeti i Veso Beut in Albanian. It is not known when this alphabet was created or by who.
Johann Georg von Hahn (1811-1869), a German diplomat and philologist who specialised in Albanian history, language and culture, published information about this alphabet in 1854 in Albanesische Studien (Albanian Studies). He wrote that the alphabet was given to him by Veso Bei (a.k.a. Veso Bey), one of the prominient chiefs in Gjirokastër, and that it came from the Alisot Pashalides family. Veso Bei said that he had learnt the alphabet when he was young from his tutor (hodja) as a secret family script, and that he used it occasionally in correspondence with his relatives.
Hahn provided a chart showing the letters of this alphabet with their equivalents in the Greek alphabet. Other charts show mainly Latin transliterations.
This is the alphabet chart provided by Johann Georg von Hahn in Albanesische Studien.
This is a chart I made with the possible pronunciations of each letters.
Download an alphabet chart for Veso Bey (Excel)
In this text, dh = θ, ë = e, h = x, j = ē, u = o, v= b, y = i. These are my own choices.
Të gjithë njerëzit lindin të lirë dhe të barabartë në dinjitet dhe në të drejta. Ata kanë arsye dhe ndërgjegje dhe duhet të sillen ndaj njëri tjetrit me frymë vëllazërimi.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Information about Albanian | Phrases (Gheg) | Phrases (Tosk) | Numbers (Gheg) | Numbers (Tosk) | Family words (Gheg & Tosk) | Tongue twisters | Tower of Babel | Beitha Kukju alphabet | Elbasan alphabet | Todhri alphabet | Vellara alphabet | Veso Bey alphabet | Berati alphabet
Albanian courses on: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk [affilate links]
Information about the Veso Bey alphabet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veso_Bey_alphabet
https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfabeti_i_Veso_Beut
https://archive.org/details/albanesischestu00hahngoog/page/296/mode/2up?q=veso
Information about Johann Georg von Hahn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Georg_von_Hahn
https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Georg_von_Hahn
Veso Bey font
https://eng.m.fontke.com/font/10779589/download/
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Page last modified: 08.02.26
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