Koppa (letter) - Numeral Koppa

Numeral Koppa

Koppa remained in use in the system of Milesian Greek numerals, where it had the value of 90. It has continued to be used in this function into modern times, though its shape has changed over time. In the Greek cursive script, the Q-like shape with a closed circle on top (handwritten as ) was often broken up at the side or at the top . These are also the shapes in which it was borrowed into the early Cyrillic alphabet (Ҁ), as well as into Gothic, in both cases with the same numeric function. In the Coptic script, the identical-looking sign ϥ is also used as a numeral for 90, although as an alphabetic letter it has an unrelated sound value, /f/, derived from Egyptian demotic. Later, in minuscule handwriting, the shape changed further into a simple zigzag line (, ).