HOME > WordMaster® > LETTER vs. ALPHABET | 文字 vs. アルファベット

For Life
2006.06.19(Review of 2001.09.17 edition)

Greetings! We couldn't be more pleased to be starting this new week of Berlitz WordMaster with you! From now until Thursday, the WordMaster team will be exploring a theme that's especially meaningful to us - the written word. We hope you enjoy it!

Today's LessonCATEGORY: 混同しやすい言葉
LETTER vs. ALPHABET   文字 vs. アルファベット

Explanation

  • A letter is a written symbol - such as “a” or “B” - that represents a sound in a language.

    The English alphabet is the set of 26 letters used to write the language.

    Be Careful! We only use the word alphabet to talk about the complete SET of letters, NOT just a single letter.
  • letter は、“a” や “B” など、言語の音を書き表すための記号、つまり、文字のことです。

    英語の alphabet は、英語を書くために使われる26の文字すべてのことです。

    注意:alphabet という言葉は、(英語の場合)26文字全部をさすときのみに使い、個別の文字のことは、letter と区別します。

examples

  1. “A” is the first letter of the alphabet, and “Z” is the last letter.
  2. Sheila's daughter is only two years old, but she already knows how to say the alphabet.
  3. Names of people and places should always begin with a capital letter.
  4. The newspaper headline was written in big, bold letters: WOMAN LANDS ON MARS!

英会話レッスンStay well and happy!