F, the German Kurrent letter f
F is the 6th letter of the German alphabet, representing a voiceless labiodental fricative /f/, found in both native Germanic vocabulary and borrowed terminology. In German Kurrent handwriting, it has a distinct historical ductus taught across German-speaking Europe until 1941.
In words
Brief · letter
Pfarrer · pastor
Easy to confuse with
Looks like ſ (long s (ſ))
The f has a short horizontal bar on the right of its stem at the middle line; the long s (ſ) has none, and otherwise the two mostly look the same.
Looks like h (Kurrent h)
The f carries a short bar at the middle line; the h has none, and its part below the baseline is a loop drawn through in one stroke.
History
The letter F occupies the 6th position in the German alphabet. Phonetically, it represents a voiceless labiodental fricative /f/, found in both native Germanic vocabulary and borrowed terminology.
Lowercase f in Kurrent is a grand, three-zone character that spans the upper, middle, and lower registers. It begins with a tall ascending loop, plunges straight down through the baseline into a deep descender, and finishes with a small loop or cross-stroke tied at the baseline before linking to the next glyph. Capital F has a broad horizontal top roof, a curved stem with a base flourish, and a central crossbar.
The letter f occurs frequently in familial and occupational terms across German parish records, including 'Familie', 'Frau', 'Förster' (forester), 'Fischer' (fisherman), and 'Fleischer' (butcher). Its three-zone verticality makes it an unmistakable anchor on the handwritten page.
As in the older chancery hands it grew from,[1] Kurrent carries the shafts of f and of the long s down below the baseline.[2] In German text f is only the eighteenth most frequent letter, at about 1.7% of all letters.[3]
Sources
- [1] Deutsche Kurrentschrift — Wikipedia (German) — f and long s, like the older chancery hands (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [2] Deutsche Kurrentschrift — Wikipedia (German) — the shafts are extended downward (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [3] F — Wikipedia (German) — 18th most frequent, 1.66% (accessed 2026-10-14)