T, the Sütterlin letter t
T is the 20th letter of the German alphabet, representing a voiceless alveolar plosive /t/, aspirated in German syllable onsets. In Sütterlinschrift, it was redesigned in 1911 by Ludwig Sütterlin with upright, geometric proportions for German schoolchildren.
In words
Mutter · mother
Vater · father
Sonntag · Sunday
History
The letter T is the 20th letter of the German alphabet. Phonetically, it represents a voiceless alveolar plosive /t/, aspirated in German syllable onsets.
Sütterlin lowercase t is drawn with an upright stem of intermediate height and a clean, centered horizontal crossbar. Capital T has an upright vertical spine topped with a symmetrical, gently waved horizontal roof.
The letter t is vital in vital statistics records: 'Taufe' (baptism), 'Trauung' (wedding), 'Tod' (death), and 'Tag' (day). Its horizontal crossbar serves as a clear visual anchor on every handwritten page.
T began as a cross, probably a mark,[1] and the Phoenicians named it taw.[2] In both Proto-Sinaitic and Phoenician writing taw could also lie on its side, in a form like an X.[3] The Greeks used the form standing on its point,[4] and already in early Greek the crossbar moved up to the top of the letter.[5] The Etruscans and then the Romans took it over as T, changing neither its sound nor its shape.[6]
Sources
- [1] T — Wikipedia (German) — a cross, probably a mark (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [2] T — Wikipedia (German) — taw (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [3] T — Wikipedia (German) — lying taw like X (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [4] T — Wikipedia (German) — form on its point (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [5] T — Wikipedia (German) — crossbar to the top (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [6] T — Wikipedia (German) — unchanged (accessed 2026-10-14)