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M facts for kids

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M
M m
(See below)
Writing cursive forms of M
Usage
Writing system Latin script
Type Alphabetic and Logographic
Language of origin Latin language
Phonetic usage []
[]
[]
[]
Unicode value U+004D, U+006D
Alphabetical position 13
Numerical value: 1000
History
Development
N35
  • Maym
    • Phoenician Mem
      • PhoenicianM-01.png
        • EtruscanM-01.svg
          • Early Greek My
            • Μ μ
              • 𐌌
                • M m
Time period ~-700 to present
Descendants  •
 •
 •
 • ᴟ
 • ꬺ
 • ɯ ɰ
 • ꟿ
 • ᛗ
Sisters М
Ӎ
מ
ם
م
ܡ

מּ

Aramaic Mem


𐌼
Variations (See below)
Other
Other letters commonly used with m(x)
Associated numbers 1000

M, or m, is the thirteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is em (pronounced), plural ems.

History

Egyptian hieroglyph "n" Phoenician
Mem
Etruscan M Greek
Mu
Latin
M
n
PhoenicianM-01.png EtruscanM-01.svg Mu uc lc.svg Latin M

The letter M is derived from the Phoenician Mem, via the Greek Mu (Μ, μ).

Meanings for M

Use in writing systems

The letter ⟨m⟩ represents the bilabial nasal consonant sound in the orthography of Latin as well as in that of many modern languages, and also in the International Phonetic Alphabet. In English, the Oxford English Dictionary (first edition) says that ⟨m⟩ is sometimes a vowel, in words like spasm and in the suffix -ism. In modern terminology, this is described as a syllabic consonant (IPA).

In Washo, lower-case ⟨m⟩ represents a typical em sound, while upper-case ⟨M⟩ represents a voiceless em sound.

Other uses

Miehikkala.vaakuna
Styled letter M in the coat of arms of Miehikkälä
  • Unit prefix M (mega), meaning one million times, and m (milli) meaning one-thousandth.
  • M is used as the unit abbreviation for molarity.
  • M often represents male or masculine, especially in conjunction with F for female or feminine.
  • M (James Bond) is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond book and film series.
  • In typography, an em dash is a punctuation symbol whose width is equal to that of a capital letter M.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: M para niños

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