Jun 15 • 3M

Why Is K Shaped Like That?

K used to be written backwards, sort of like ꓘ. Who turned it around?

John McWhorter
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Would the letter K taste like grape soda? John thinks so.

To the Phoenicians, the letter K represented a human hand that was reaching out to the left. Eventually, however, a few fingers got lopped off and the hand was rotated 180 degrees. John McWhorter explains.

This episode is for paid subscribers