V, the Sütterlin letter v
V is the 22nd letter of the German alphabet, representing a voiceless labiodental fricative /f/ in Germanic words like 'Vater' or 'Vogel', and a voiced /v/ in Latin and Romance loanwords like 'Vase'. In Sütterlinschrift, it was redesigned in 1911 by Ludwig Sütterlin with upright, geometric proportions for German schoolchildren.
In words
Vater · father
Easy to confuse with
Looks like u (Sütterlin u)
The v ends in a small loop at the top right; the u has no loop there and carries an arc above it instead.
History
The letter V is the 22nd letter of the German alphabet. Phonetically, it represents a voiceless labiodental fricative /f/ in Germanic words like 'Vater' or 'Vogel', and a voiced /v/ in Latin and Romance loanwords like 'Vase'.
Sütterlin lowercase v is an upright rounded cup with an inward loop on the right shoulder. Capital V is drawn with clean upright lines and a rounded base curve.
The letter v is critical in genealogical registers for the foundational relationship 'Vater' (father), as well as geographical prefixes like 'von' and 'vor'. Its top exit loop distinguishes it from u.
V shares most of its history with U and W,[1] and Y and F are related to it too.[2] Its Phoenician ancestor, waw, stood for w.[3] Among the Etruscans the lower point disappeared and the letter took the shape V,[4] and it was used to write both u and w.[5] Late antiquity added a rounded variant that looks like U, and the two forms were interchangeable.[6]
Sources
- [1] V — Wikipedia (German) — shared history (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [2] V — Wikipedia (German) — Y and F related (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [3] V — Wikipedia (German) — waw for w (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [4] V — Wikipedia (German) — the shape V (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [5] V — Wikipedia (German) — both sounds (accessed 2026-10-14)
- [6] V — Wikipedia (German) — rounded variant (accessed 2026-10-14)