The Romanian alphabet is a fascinating script that reflects the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of Romania and Republic of Moldova. Romanian, like most Western European languages, is written in Latin script. However, it boasts a distinctive set of characters and pronunciation nuances that make it truly one-of-a-kind.
Romanian is a Romance language, closely related to Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Yet, it has a unique linguistic identity with influences from Latin, Slavic languages, and Hungarian due to its geographic location.
The Romanian alphabet consists of 31 letters, including 26 letters found in the English alphabet and five additional characters. These additional letters are used to represent unique Romanian sounds and features.
Here are the five extra letters in the Romanian alphabet:
Ș (ș) – Pronounced like “sh” in English.
Ț (ț) – Similar to the “ts” sound in “cats.”
Ă (ă) – Represents a short, open central vowel sound.
 (â) – Indicates a long, central, and rounded vowel sound.
Î (î) – Represents a close central vowel sound.
