The runic alphabet is called futhark (fuþąrk), from its first six letters, just like the ABC or the abecedarium.

The Younger Futhark was used by Scandinavian peoples during the Viking Age (9th-12th centuries) to write Old Norse.

It is an adaptation of the Elder Futhark, simplifying the alphabet from 24 to 16 characters. Paradoxically, this reduction occurred as the Scandinavian phonetic system became more complex: a single rune could represent several phonemes (sounds).

The Younger Futhark has two main styles (9 runes are modified):
- Long-branch runes were used for monumental inscriptions on stone.
- Short-twig runes were preferred for everyday messages on wood.

To type directly with the computer keyboard:

• Type in uppercase for Long-branch runes and lowercase for Short-twig runes
• Type a= for ą
• Type t= for þ
• Type z for ʀ
• Type dot . for ᛫ (word separator), type semicolon : for ᛬ (sentence separator), type sign + for the runic cross ᛭ (end of inscription)

Download & install the font Junicode