The short answer: Georgian has been written in three scripts. Asomtavruli, the oldest, appears in inscriptions from the 5th century, including the dated inscription of 493/494 at Bolnisi Sioni. Nuskhuri developed in the 9th century for church books. Mkhedruli, the rounded script you see on every Georgian sign today, first appears in the 10th century and became the everyday alphabet. All three are still in use, and in 2016 UNESCO added the living culture of the three writing systems to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Where did the script come from?
No one knows for certain. A medieval Georgian tradition credits King Parnavaz I, in the 3rd century BC, with inventing it, but scholars reject this because there is no archaeological evidence for it[1]. Another theory links its creation to the spread of Christianity, after Georgia's conversion in the 4th century, and to the other alphabets created in the region around the same time. What is certain is that the earliest surviving Georgian writing dates from the 5th century, and that the script is Georgia's own, not a version of Greek, Armenian or any other alphabet[1].
Asomtavruli: the first script
Asomtavruli, also called Mrgvlovani ("rounded"), is the oldest Georgian script, used from the 5th to about the 9th century[1][2]. Its letters are geometric, built from circles and straight lines, and originally all of the same height.
The oldest inscriptions
- Bir el Qutt, a Georgian monastery near Bethlehem, has mosaic inscriptions from around 430[1].
- Bolnisi Sioni, a basilica south of Tbilisi begun in 478/479, has the earliest dated inscription found in Georgia, of 493/494[3]. It asks for mercy on Bishop David and the builders, and a second inscription mentions the Persian king Peroz[3]. The original inscribed stones are now kept in the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi[3].
Later, Asomtavruli became the script of capital letters in church manuscripts[2].
Nuskhuri: the script of church books
From the 9th century, scribes developed Nuskhuri, a smaller, more angular script that was quicker to write and suited to copying books[1][2]. The earliest known Nuskhuri inscription, from 835, is on the walls of Ateni Sioni church near Gori[1]. Combined with Asomtavruli capitals, Nuskhuri formed the system called Khutsuri, "clerical", which dominated church writing for centuries[2]. It is still used in the Georgian Orthodox Church today.
Mkhedruli: the everyday alphabet
Mkhedruli, from mkhedari, "horseman" or "knight", keeps rounded letters but flows more easily in handwriting[2]. The oldest known Mkhedruli inscription, from 982, is also at Ateni Sioni[1]. Over time it became the script of the state and secular life, while the older scripts stayed in the church[2].
The alphabet once had 38 letters. In the 19th century, reformers associated with the writer Ilia Chavchavadze and the Society for the Spreading of Literacy among Georgians, founded in 1879, dropped five that were no longer needed, leaving the 33 used today[1][2].
How it works
- One sound, one letter: Georgian is written much as it is spoken[2].
- No capitals: modern Georgian has no upper and lower case. Capital-style letters, called Mtavruli, are used for headings and signs.
- Left to right, like English[2].
For how to read a few letters and 20 useful phrases, see our guide to the Georgian language and alphabet.
Why it matters to Georgians
For a small country that has often been ruled or threatened by larger neighbours, the alphabet is a symbol of identity, and Georgians are proud of it. You see the letters used as decoration on jewellery, ceramics and T-shirts, on the walls of new buildings and in logos. Ask a Georgian to write your name in Mkhedruli and you will usually get a smile, and a lesson in how to pronounce it.
UNESCO and the living scripts
In 2016 UNESCO inscribed the "Living culture of three writing systems of the Georgian alphabet" on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity[1][4]. The listing recognises that all three scripts are still taught and used: Mkhedruli every day, and Asomtavruli and Nuskhuri in the church, in calligraphy and in design.
Where to see the scripts
- Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi: the Bolnisi inscriptions and early manuscripts. The Treasury is a separate section.
- Tbilisi churches: the older scripts still appear on icons, walls and church books; look for them in the Old Town's churches.
- Bolnisi Sioni: the oldest surviving church building in Georgia, south of Tbilisi on the road to Dmanisi. See Dmanisi and how to visit.
- Ateni Sioni, near Gori: the 835 and 982 inscriptions, and fine 11th-century frescoes.
- Everywhere else: shop signs, menus and road signs, all in Mkhedruli. In Batumi, the Alphabet Tower on the seafront is a monument to the script.
Tips for visitors
- Learn five or six letters before you go; it turns signs from decoration into information.
- Church inscriptions are often high up or faded; a guide helps you find them.
- Calligraphy and jewellery with Georgian letters make good souvenirs.
- Since 1 January 2026, travel insurance with at least 30,000 GEL of cover is mandatory for visitors to Georgia.
Tours for the scripts
Our Tbilisi private city tour walks through the Old Town to Sioni Cathedral and Anchiskhati Basilica, where your guide can point out old Georgian lettering on icons and walls. The Georgia Archaeology Tour, 5 days, private starts with the National Museum in Tbilisi and ends with Dmanisi and Bolnisi, home of the oldest dated Georgian inscription. Both are private, with your own English-speaking guide; see the tour page for the current price. Or build your own trip with Ateni Sioni added. Nothing to pay now.
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Georgian scripts": en.wikipedia.org
- British Library, "The three lives of the Georgian alphabet": bl.uk
- Wikipedia, "Bolnisi inscriptions": en.wikipedia.org
- UNESCO, "Living culture of three writing systems of the Georgian alphabet" (2016): ich.unesco.org
Last checked: September 2026.
