The Coptic Alphabet: A Complete Guide for New Zealand Learners

Key Highlights

• The coptic alphabet is the way people write the coptic language. This language is the last form of the egyptian language.

• The coptic script came from greek letters. People also added extra signs from ancient egyptian for sounds not found in greek.

• The coptic church used the script to keep and share religious texts. It also made it easier to show how words sound when people say them.

• You will get to see how letters, sounds, and numbers all be part of the script.

• This guide talks about writing, charts, typing tools, and how people use the script today.

• People in New Zealand can find easy resources. These help you start learning with more confidence.

Introduction

If you want to know about the coptic language, start with the coptic alphabet. This script is used for the final stage of the egyptian language. It lets you get into a long history of writings and the religious past. For people in New Zealand, this guide makes things easy to understand. You will see where the script started, why it is important, what each letter does, and how you can begin to read, write, and type it.

The Origins of the Coptic Alphabet

The coptic alphabet is the way people write the coptic language, which is the last stage of the ancient egyptian language. It started in Egypt and came from older writing systems. It was the first alphabetic script for the egyptian writing system.

Its main part came from the greek alphabet and used greek letters. Some extra symbols came from Demotic, because the greek alphabet did not have all the sounds that were in the ancient egyptian language. By the fourth century, people had started to use it for the important dialects. Later on, it became a big part of coptic orthodox church life and was used a lot in coptic orthodox worship.

Linking Ancient Egyptian and Greek Writing Systems

To get what the coptic alphabet is, you can think of it as joining two worlds together. The egyptian language had old ways to write words. Some of these are called hieroglyphs, Hieratic, and Demotic. These are all part of the very long history of the egyptian writing system. But none of them used a full alphabet the way Coptic did later.

Later on, the greek alphabet showed up. While the Ptolemaic period was going on, greek letters were being used to write egyptian language texts and even Demotic texts. People did this to help show how words would sound. So, this made things easier for people later.

This changed into what we call the coptic alphabet. Coptic kept the best parts of the greek alphabet but added signs for egyptian sounds too. This was important in the region. That is because the coptic alphabet also helped shape Old Nubian, which used a form that connects to Coptic and took letter shapes from other places.

Milestones in the Development of the Coptic Script

The story of the coptic script goes back to a time before the fully set coptic language. Experts talk about something called Old Coptic. In this, texts of the egyptian language were written using greek letters. They also added more signs from older egyptian scripts. It was a time of trying out different things, not about having one set way to write.

A big step forward happened when the extra marks from Demotic dropped down to a smaller group. This change gave the coptic script a simpler and better look for the coptic language. It helped the script show egyptian sounds more clearly than the other ancient scripts did before.

By the fourth century, people agreed on what the script looked like, mostly for Sahidic. At that time, it became the final stage of written egyptian language and became important for christians. Now, the coptic script is still used in some church services. This shows us how a script like this can last longer than spoken words. The script still holds on to the people’s identity, memory, and tradition.

Why the Coptic Alphabet Was Created

The coptic alphabet was made so people could write the coptic language in a more clear and full way than old writing systems. It showed the vowels, which gave readers a better idea of how to say words in the ancient egyptian language.

At the same time, the coptic alphabet helped meet the bigger needs of the coptic church. As Christianity spread in Egypt, there was a need for a script that worked for religious texts, teaching, and worship. That is how the coptic alphabet became closely joined with the coptic orthodox church, the coptic orthodox faith, and the coptic language as a lasting liturgical language.

Cultural and Religious Needs Behind Its Invention

One big reason for the new script was the change in religion. When the spread of christianity came to Egypt, egyptian christians wanted a writing system for teaching, prayer, and copying religious texts. The older scripts did not work well for these new needs.

Clarity was also important. The script could show vowels, making the sound of the words clear. That was good for the people who wanted others to read and speak in the same way at church. When the script fit speech better, it helped keep the meaning in the sacred material.

As time went on, the coptic church made this script part of their spiritual life and work. The coptic orthodox church used it for worship texts. Big discoveries like the Nag Hammadi library show how the coptic orthodox way used this script in their religious writings.

The Role of Script in Preserving Coptic Identity

A script does more than just put down words. For the coptic language, it played a big part in keeping coptic identity strong. The script gave the language a form that could be seen and last over time. When people could see their prayers, names, and teachings written in their own letters, it helped them hold onto who they are.

This mattered even more when coptic stopped being the main spoken language in day-to-day life. Even after Arabic took over, coptic stayed alive as a liturgical language. That change could have made the language fade out, but the script helped keep it going in worship and teaching.

Now, coptic orthodox life still gives the alphabet an active role. You will find the script in church books, lessons, and things people use for prayer in coptic communities. So the alphabet is not just part of history. It helps people remember, keep things going, and feel part of something together.

The Structure and Components of the Coptic Alphabet

The coptic alphabet uses letters from Greek with a few added signs from Demotic. Most people say the coptic letters come from 24 Greek letters. There are also 6 or 7 extra ones, based on the dialect.

This means the full set of letters can change a bit for different groups. Coptic letters are easy to spot since the letter forms stand out. They often get their shape from uncial writing. Today, people use both uppercase and lowercase forms for coptic letters, but old Coptic writing did not use cases in the way we use now.

Letter Forms and Visual Characteristics

At first, you may notice that many Coptic signs look like Greek if you know even some Greek shapes. This is because the coptic alphabet mostly uses the same uncial Greek forms. But, this script does have its own distinct visual signs. That is what helps people get that it is coptic and not another script.

Some letters stand out more than others. They show egyptian sounds you do not find in usual Greek. These new and distinctive forms were taken from Demotic. They are now a very important part of coptic phonology. Without these letters, people can miss some key sound parts of the language.

When you look at Coptic and modern Greek, you will see a visual difference. Today, Unicode sees Coptic as something separate. Many fonts show a distinctive byzantine style for these signs. Most small letters look like a small version of the capital letters. This makes the coptic alphabet look solid and more formal when you see it on a page.

Understanding Vowels, Consonants, and Numerals

One of the best things about the coptic alphabet is how well it shows vowels. Earlier Egyptian ways of writing did not show vowels like this. Because of this, people who want to learn the coptic language can see how words sound more clearly. That helps a lot with learning how to say words.

When it comes to consonants, you will notice their mixed background in the script. Many consonants come straight from the Greek language. Others were added later on to show egyptian sounds. This mix is a good way to deal with the old writing’s limits and fit the sound system of the coptic language.

This alphabet is also used for numbers. In coptic numbers, the letters also mean certain values. This system is a bit like how Greek and cyrillic numerals work. Sometimes you will see an overline, which shows that the letter is being used as a number. So, this script is more than an alphabet. It is also helpful for counting and keeping records.

Greek Influence on the Coptic Alphabet

Greek influence is at the centre of the coptic alphabet. This script is often seen as a variant of the greek alphabet, as most of the symbols it uses are greek letters. The order and the values from Greek are also used.

But the coptic alphabet is not just Greek in a different form. Its greek origin gave it a strong start, but some extra symbols were added for egyptian sounds. This is why the coptic alphabet is not the same as Greek, but you can see the close connection in the shape, the order, and even the way numbers work.

Borrowed Greek Letters and Their Adaptation

Most of the coptic letters come straight from greek letters. This gave the Coptic script an easy start. The alphabet had an order, sound, and number set up, just like the Greek alphabet. So if you are learning, some letters will not seem too strange since you see them used for greek and can link the sound, their order, and their number value.

But that is not all. These borrowed letters did not stay the same. The Coptic writing used greek letters to fit the egyptian language. The letters often sounded different from how the Greeks would say them. Some of the signs were also used in ways more like the Coptic sounds than the Greek sounds.

There is also a point when you look at how it looks. The script has Greek origin but, over time, Coptic made its own style for the page. With digital fonts, you might see a strong and distinctive byzantine style. Unicode even keeps most Coptic letters apart from Greek letters. This shows the script grew into its own system. It is not just another way to write Greek letters, but a stand-alone style for Egypt and its people.

Unique Additions from Demotic and Native Egyptian Origins

Greek by itself could not show all the egyptian sounds well. That is why the coptic alphabet has extra letters. These extra letters come from the ancient egyptian demotic script. The new signs filled the gaps that the Greek letters left.

The extra letters are for egyptian sounds that do not match any simple Greek sound. This made the alphabet work better for coptic phonology. It did not force the sound of words to fit in greek ways. The script changed to fit the egyptian sounds.

These special letters are a big reason Coptic is not the same as plain Greek writing. Some common examples are signs for sh, f, h, and other local consonants. For anyone learning, these are not just extra signs. They are what make the script both truly egyptian and still work as an alphabet.

Letters of the Coptic Alphabet

When you start to learn, it is good to see the coptic letters as one big system. There are a few changes for different local ways of speaking. The main group goes in the greek order. It then adds extra letters for some egyptian sounds.

So, what is in the full set of letters? You have 24 letters that come from greek origin. There are also 6 or 7 extra letters that come from the demotic way of writing. The full set of letters might be a bit different in some dialects. But the script is still the same coptic letters system all across people who write in this language.

Complete List of Coptic Letters

The core coptic letters are: Ⲁ, Ⲃ, Ⲅ, Ⲇ, Ⲉ, Ⲋ, Ⲍ, Ⲏ, Ⲑ, Ⲓ, Ⲕ, Ⲗ, Ⲙ, Ⲛ, Ⲝ, Ⲟ, Ⲡ, Ⲣ, Ⲥ, Ⲧ, Ⲩ, Ⲫ, Ⲭ, Ⲯ, and Ⲱ. These letters make up the base of what we call the coptic script. Most common forms in this set of letters come from these ones.

Coptic adds more letters that come from Egyptian roots. These are usually Ϣ, Ϥ, Ϧ, Ϩ, Ϫ, Ϭ, and Ϯ. The full set of letters can be a bit different from one dialect to another. In Sahidic, six extra signs turn up a lot. Bohairic and Akhmimic may each add one more sign to their version of the set.

Coptic used to be an official language in Egypt. The coptic script helped carry literature, religious texts, and everyday writing. If you are a modern learner, you do not need to learn all of it at once. Start by picking out which signs come from Greek, and which ones are the Egyptian additions. This way, the whole system will make

Pronunciation Guide for Each Letter

Coptic pronunciation might look easy when you see it written down. But there is not just one way people speak it. It changes with the time, place, and group. Sahidic, Bohairic, Late Coptic, and Greco-Bohairic all sound a bit different. So when you learn coptic letters, always look to see which coptic pronunciation your book or website is talking about.

If you are just starting out, learn the big picture first. The main sounds are helpful to remember. For example, Ⲁ is like the vowel a, Ⲕ is k, Ⲙ is m, Ⲛ is n, Ⲣ is r, and Ⲥ is s. Some extra letters, like Ϣ, usually mean sh. Ϥ is f, Ϩ is h, and Ϯ can sound like ti or di.

The correct pronunciation of demotic letters is important because they show main parts of coptic phonology. You do not have to be perfect right away. Get used to the basic sounds and keep going over them. Over time, your ear will get better when you read more and hear others use these words out loud.

Coptic Alphabet Chart and Reference Table

A simple chart can help make coptic letters much less scary. You do not need to remember every symbol on its own. With a chart, you get the sign, its name, how it sounds, and the translation all together in one spot.

For people in New Zealand who are learning, this kind of table is very handy when you start out. You can keep it next to you as you read or practise writing coptic letters. This helps you pick up coptic pronunciation step by step. You do not have to try and learn everything at once or get lost with a big list.

Visual Chart with Names and Sounds

Here is a compact coptic alphabet chart for quick revision. It does not replace a full grammar, but it gives you a practical starting point for matching letter forms with broad sounds used in beginner study of the coptic language.

Transliteration Into English for Learners

For people who are new to the coptic text, transliteration can help you move from the coptic alphabet to the letters you use in Roman script. It helps you read coptic text even when you do not know every sign right away. This can make the start of your learning feel much easier.

But, transliteration is not perfect. It shows you sounds in an almost-right way, but not always the same, and English ways to say words might mislead you if you keep to English spellings. A letter you see as “th” or “sh” could look simple at first, but in real Coptic, the way people say it can change with area or with the person who is teaching it.

The best way is to use transliteration as just another tool. Try to look at the real Coptic writing first. After that, look at the transliteration. Next, say the sound. This way, your eyes and mind start to know the coptic text itself. As you keep learning, you will trust English less and let the coptic alphabet guide you more.

Writing the Coptic Alphabet

Learning coptic writing gets easier if you think of it as a real hand skill. It is not just about trying to remember each sign. You are really training your hand to make a set of letters from the past in a way that is easy to read.

It is a good idea to start with clear printed shapes, and then try copying examples from a coptic manuscript or a beginner sheet. This form of coptic writing goes from left to right. The rounded shapes in it get better with slow and careful practice, not with quick notes.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Writing Letters

If you want to write well in Coptic, keep how you do it easy. You do not need fancy stuff to work with coptic letters or coptic lowercases. The main thing is to keep at it, notice the shapes, and always match the sign to the sound. Many people learn better by writing a few letters each day, instead of sitting for one long time now and then.

Start with the coptic letters you see most, and leave the less common ones for later. You will see modern lists that show both capitals and coptic lowercases. Make sure you can spot both. Some lowercases look like short versions of capitals, so it’s important to know their shapes.

• Copy only 5 to 8 letters at once. Don’t try the full alphabet in one go.

• Say each sound out loud when you write.

• Put similar letters with the same writing style in one group, like curved vowels or tall consonants.

• Keep a model chart close and check your space and curves as you write.

• Go over the coptic letters you did yesterday before you try new ones.

Common Writing Styles and Manuscript Examples

Printed Coptic and handwritten Coptic do not always look the same. When you see a manuscript, you may notice the strokes are more smooth. The spacing can change as well. Also, some letters may look more slim or more decorated. This is normal for how people wrote in the past. It is the same as how printed and handwritten Latin are not always the same.

When we use the coptic script on computers, most fonts show it in a distinctive Byzantine style. This helps make the letters look more like they did in history, especially in formal writing. It also shows why people treat the coptic script as its own thing, not just old Greek, even though the two are closely linked.

You can match this with how the fraktur alphabet is used for German printing. It is based on Latin letters, but it still looks its own way. The coptic script is like that. Even if it grew from Greek, how people wrote it by hand and how it looks make it a new way to write.

Coptic Numbers and Their Use

The coptic alphabet is used to write words. It is also used for coptic numbers. In this system, every letter can also be a number. Some letters stand for values like 1, 10, 100, or 500.

This system is a lot like Greek and cyrillic numerals. In coptic numerals, you may see a small line over a letter. This shows you it is a number, not just a letter. The script can be used for both writing words and showing numbers.

How Letters Double as Numerals

In the Coptic system, some letters stand for fixed number values. For example, Ⲁ stands for 1, Ⲃ means 2, and ⲫ is 500. The same signs let you write words and show numbers.

That might seem strange at first, but many ancient scripts used this idea. Greek did this, and Coptic took a similar approach. Most of the time, people knew from the context if a sign was used as part of the language or as a number. Sometimes, an overline was added so you could tell it was a number.

This shows that the Coptic alphabet can be used in many ways. It is not just for prayers or copying books. People could use it to record amounts, count things, or mark references. If you learn about Coptic numbers, it helps you understand how the script works in real life.

Everyday Examples of Number Use in Coptic

You might wonder where this way of counting is used. In real life, coptic numbers often show up in religious events, old writings, and places of learning. The script is still needed in church, so people use these numbers when they need to add dates, keep track, or put things in order in coptic text.

Inside the coptic church, people could use numbers from letters to organise writing. They do not have to switch to a new way of showing numbers. This meant the script felt whole. It also shows the long past of the egyptian language, where writing was used for many things at the same time.

• A letter with a line on top could show a number in something written down.

• Number values could show up in names of books, lists, or ordered parts.

• Bigger numbers, like thousands, could be shown with extra marks, like lines on top.

Variations in Coptic Dialects and Scripts

The coptic script did not stay the same in every place or through all eras of the coptic language. You can see that different dialects of coptic, like sahidic coptic and the bohairic dialect, have small but important changes in how they use letters and how they sound.

These changes show that the coptic language grew and changed in each area and over time. So, if you look at one text and then another, you might find some extra letters, new ways to spell the same words, or sounds that have changed. This does not mean that one is wrong. It shows how the coptic script changed as the people used it in their daily life.

Sahidic vs. Bohairic Differences in the Alphabet

Sahidic coptic and the bohairic dialect are the two types that most people look at when they first start learning. Sahidic was the standard form earlier, in the fourth century. Bohairic is the main type used in church today. Both use the broad coptic alphabet, but there are some small differences.

One thing about the two is the number of added letters. Sahidic uses six extra signs from Demotic. Bohairic sometimes adds one more. How the letters are said is also not always the same. So, you might hear one letter read in different ways depending on which one you learn.

Even with those differences, both are very close. The coptic alphabet is a variant of the greek alphabet. It takes the greek alphabet and adds some signs from native Egyptian writing. No matter if you go with Sahidic coptic or the bohairic dialect, these are both part of a strong, shared system. People should think of them as closely linked ways, not fully separate scripts, because the main system is much the same.

Minor Regional Variations in Script Usage

There are more than just the main dialects in Coptic script. You can see small changes that happen in different areas. These differences show up in things like letter choices, ways of spelling, what scribes prefer, and how the whole page looks. This is usual for old writing styles and should not come as a shock to you.

If you are learning, it means you will not find one exact, unchanging way in every text. A church book, a teaching note, or a study guide might show the same word in slightly different ways. This does not mean it is wrong. It just shows how coptic communities really used their script over time instead of things always being the same.

Today, online tools help you notice these differences more easily. Fonts and text versions from places like the French Institute of Oriental Archeology let people learn about the forms more closely. When you look at coptic script from different sources, you see it as a living, changing thing. It is more than just a simple chart of letters that stays the same.

Typing and Digital Tools for the Coptic Alphabet

If you want to do more than just write coptic by hand, you can now type it too. This is because unicode support gives the coptic alphabet a safe place in today’s digital world.

You will find an online keyboard, specialist fonts, and other digital tools. These make it easy to read and type in Coptic. For someone who is just starting, a free font and an easy keyboard layout will be enough. You can start copying words, making flashcards, or saving quick notes in the script.

Online Keyboards and Unicode Support

The most important thing for digital Coptic is to have unicode support. Today, you will find most coptic letters in their own special Coptic block. Some extra letters that come from Demotic are still in the Greek and Coptic block. This lets computers show the coptic alphabet in a better and more steady way compared to old systems.

When it comes to typing coptic text, an online keyboard is a good place to start. You can use it to type coptic letters without having to set up a big operating system layout right away. This is handy if you just want to try out the script or use coptic text on a computer many people share.

You need to use the right fonts as well. Many popular systems have free fonts that already work with coptic letters and have a clear, older look. Some people, like researchers, may use more expert choices. Free font options such as Antinoou or the IFAO font help make coptic text much easier to read and write. When you install these fonts, working with digital Coptic for your study gets a lot more simple.

Resources for Typing and Using Coptic Digitally

You do not have to set up anything hard to start using coptic on your screen. There are some good and easy digital tools. These tools help you with coptic letters so you can type, read, and save coptic documents without much work. Start by getting basic input and a free font at first. Later, if you get more into it, you can use other tools made for coptic study.

Some people like to use browser tools. Others want to install a free font and write inside a normal word processor. Both these ways can work with coptic text as long as the device supports Unicode. Which way is best for you depends on if you just want fast practice or if you want to study for a long time.

• Use an online keyboard first if you want to try coptic letters right away without changing your software.

• Download and put in a Unicode-ready free font, so you can see coptic letters the right way in notes and coptic documents.

• Save your practice texts in normal digital files. Try them on other devices to see if the coptic letters look right.

Learning and Teaching Resources for New Zealand Learners

If you are in New Zealand, you can still learn coptic even if there are not any classes close to you. The main benefit now is that you can use digital learning tools from anywhere.

Resources you might use are alphabet guides, pages that show you how to speak, lessons you can download, and church websites. Material from the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London and other places is good to help you get a steady study plan. If you have good coptic alphabet resources, living far away does not have to stop you.

Textbooks, Workbooks, and Online Tutorials

A good study plan often uses more than one kind of resource. Textbooks give things an order so you learn step by step. Workbooks let you practise, so you repeat what you know. Online tutorials help you hear the coptic language and see the script, making it easier to remember. If you use all these, the coptic alphabet can be learned more easily.

Many people study by themselves, so online tutorials can help a lot. The tutorials can show the right letter order. They also show how to say each one and give some short reading practice. Some church and language websites have sets of lessons for learning the coptic language. These usually start with the main script and the basic sounds.

• Pick textbooks that show which letters come from Greek, and which are added from Demotic.

• Use workbooks or print out sheets where you can repeat tracing and copying the letters.

• Try online tutorials with audio or guided reading. This way, you connect the coptic alphabet to the right sound, not just how it looks.

Tips for Classroom and Self-Study Success

It does not matter if you learn the coptic language by yourself or in a group, it is more important to be regular than to go fast. The coptic alphabet is best learned by short and regular lessons, as each time you practice, you help remember, say, and write the letters better. There is no need to hurry through the whole set of letters.

If you teach this to others, keep things simple at the start. Work with the most-used letters first. After that, focus on the sounds, and then use them to make small words. If you learn by yourself, this order helps as well. With this method, the coptic language does not turn into something that just looks like a chart but starts to make sense.

• Study for a short time every day to get more out of it than one long weekly lesson.

• Say the letters out loud when you write them down.

• Go over what you learned before before moving on to the next coptic language symbols.

• Use one notebook for all your coptic alphabet letters and sound tips.

• If you are in a class, use pair reading or copy work from the board to help you feel good about your learning.

Modern Use and Cultural Significance in New Zealand

The coptic alphabet is still important to people. It stays linked to worship, memory, and who we are. Even if people do not use Coptic much as a spoken language in everyday life, the script keeps showing up in church and when people read and study old religious texts or things from history. So, yes, many people still learn it and use it today.

For those who want to learn in New Zealand, this means the alphabet is not just some old subject. It can help you join in with a community, with church life, and with a deep Egyptian tradition. You might study it because of your faith, your interest in spoken language, or your love of history, but either way, it is good for learning and can give people more meaning in life.

The Coptic Alphabet in Church and Community Life

In modern times, the coptic church is where the script is still used the most. The coptic alphabet is the writing system for the liturgical language of the coptic orthodox church. You will also find it in the Coptic Catholic tradition. This means the script is still in use now, not just kept in old books.

Inside community life, people can see coptic text in prayers, hymn books, teaching sheets, and study guides. Many in the church speak different languages every day. Still, using the script connects everyone to a long Egyptian past and the usual way people worship.

Because of this, you should see the coptic alphabet as something alive. It does not just sit in a museum or in an old manuscript. People read, sing, copy, and teach it in their lives. For anyone in New Zealand who wants to find out more about the coptic orthodox church, church history, or to study a new language, the script feels much more real and important.

Revitalisation and Preservation Efforts Today

Keeping the coptic language alive relies a lot on teaching everyone the script. Since most people do not use the language in everyday talking, bringing it back often starts when people learn to read, use prayer books, and practise structured lessons. The alphabet is the main way this work can start.

The coptic church has a big part to play. It keeps the language alive by using it in church services, copying old texts, and running lessons. These steps might not bring back the old way people spoke every day, but they help pass the language down from one group to the next and even across other countries.

Coptic communities can get help from digital tools, fonts, lessons on the internet, and books that are made for them now. These new methods help with coptic language preservation in ways that were not there in the past. So, while coptic language comes from long ago, its future still changes today because of the many teachers, worshippers, and learners who decide to keep reading and writing it.

Conclusion

The Coptic alphabet is a great link between old customs and new uses. When you learn about where it comes from, how it is built, and what it means for people, you get closer to Coptic culture, even in New Zealand. As you start to learn this script, use the tools you have, like textbooks and online lessons. When you write coptic letters or learn about different ways people talk, each part will help you value this language more. Take time to learn and enjoy it, and let the Coptic alphabet help you understand a lively culture. Happy learning!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Coptic alphabet still learned and used today?

Yes. People still learn and use the coptic alphabet today, especially in the coptic church and with coptic communities. It is the writing used for a liturgical language, mainly in the coptic orthodox church. You can see it in worship, teaching, and other religious texts.

How does the Coptic alphabet differ from ancient Egyptian and Greek scripts?

The coptic alphabet is not like earlier ancient egyptian writing systems as it shows vowels clearly and acts as a proper alphabet. It is also different from the greek alphabet. This is because the coptic alphabet adds signs from the demotic script to show egyptian sounds that the greek alphabet could not show on its own.

What is the best way to start learning to write the Coptic alphabet?

The best way to get started with coptic is to use an easy alphabet chart. Copy a few letters each day. Say how they sound out loud. Right from the start, link coptic writing with coptic pronunciation. Doing a little often is better than trying to learn everything in one go.