F, the Sütterlin 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 Sütterlinschrift, it was redesigned in 1911 by Ludwig Sütterlin with upright, geometric proportions for German schoolchildren.
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 (Sütterlin 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 is the 6th letter of the German alphabet. Phonetically, it represents a voiceless labiodental fricative /f/, found in both native Germanic vocabulary and borrowed terminology.
Sütterlin lowercase f also extends across all three zones, featuring an upright top loop, a straight descent through the baseline, and a delicate tie at the middle line. Capital F is drawn upright with a gently wavy top bar, an upright stem, and a clean 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.
Nothing is known of the sound or meaning of f's Proto-Sinaitic sign, a hook or a club with a round tip.[1] Early Greek took the Phoenician letter over twice, once as digamma for a consonant.[2] Digamma later left the Greek alphabet, living on only as the sign for the number 6.[3] The Etruscans used digamma in combination with the sign H.[4]
Sources
- [1] F — Wikipedia (German) — Proto-Sinaitic hook or club, value unknown (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [2] F — Wikipedia (German) — taken over twice, once as digamma (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [3] F — Wikipedia (German) — digamma survived as the numeral 6 (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [4] F — Wikipedia (German) — Etruscan digamma plus H (accessed 2026-10-14)