Kufi
/ˈkuː.fiː/noun
A style of Arabic calligraphy characterized by angular, geometric letterforms.
Did you know?Although Kufi is named after the Iraqi city of Kufa, scholars caution that the script was not created exclusively there; the label became a later attribution for early angular Arabic writing.
Etymological Timeline
7th Century
Arabic
Kūfa
“The Iraqi city whose name became associated with an early angular style of Arabic writing.”
Early Islamic Arabic
Arabic
kūfī
“A nisba adjective meaning “of Kufa” or “connected with Kufa.””
8th–10th Centuries
Arabic
al-khaṭṭ al-kūfī
““The Kufan script,” a later descriptive label for monumental, angular Arabic calligraphy.”
17th–19th Centuries
European scholarship
Kufic
“The established scholarly English form for the angular Arabic script style.”
Modern English
English
Kufi
“A simplified transliteration used for the calligraphic style, especially in design, typography, and popular writing about Islamic art.”