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{{Short description|Thirteenth letter of the Latin alphabet}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{About|the letter of the Roman alphabet|the letter of the [[Cyrillic script]] (М, м)|Em (Cyrillic)|the letter of the [[Greek script]] (Μ, μ) |Mu (letter)|other uses}}
{{distinguish|ញ|ᛖ|₥|ℳ|ෆ|ʍ}}
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox grapheme
| name = M
| letter = M m
| script = [[Latin script]]
| type = [[Alphabet]]
| typedesc = ic and [[Logographic]]
| language = [[Latin language]]
| phonemes = {{flex list|[{{IPAlink|m}}]|[{{IPAlink|ɱ}}]|[{{IPAlink|n}}]|[{{IPAlink|n̼}}]|[{{IPAlink|∅}}]|{{IPAc-en|ɛ|m}}}}
| unicode = U+004D, U+006D
| alphanumber = 13
| number = 1000
| fam1 = <hiero>N35</hiero>
| fam2 = [[File:Proto-semiticM-01.svg|class=skin-invert-image|20px|Maym]]
| fam3 = [[File:Phoenician_mem.svg|class=skin-invert-image|20px|Phoenician Mem]]
| fam4 = [[File:PhoenicianM-01.svg|class=skin-invert-image|20px]]
| fam5 = [[File:Greek_Mu_04.svg|class=skin-invert-image|20px|Early Greek My]]
| fam6 = [[μ|Μ μ]]
| fam7 = [[File:EtruscanM-01.svg|class=skin-invert-image|20px]]
| fam8 = [[𐌌]]
| usageperiod = {{circa}} 700 BCE to present
| children = {{flex list|[[₥]]|{{not a typo|[[™]]|[[℠]]}}|[[ᴟ]]|[[ꬺ]]|[[ꟽ]]|[[ɯ]]|[[ɰ]]|[[ꟿ]]|[[ᛗ]]}}
| sisters = {{flex list|[[М]]|[[Ӎ]]|[[Mem|מ]]|[[Mem|ם]]|[[Mem|م]]|[[Mem|ܡ]]|[[מּ]]|[[ﬦ]]|[[File:Mem.svg|class=skin-invert-image|10px|Aramaic Mem]]|[[Ⰿ]]|[[ࠌ]]|[[𐌼]]}}
| equivalents = 
| associates = [[List of Latin-script digraphs#M|m(x)]]
| direction = Left-to-right
| image = File:Latin_letter_M.svg
| imageclass = skin-invert-image
}}
{{Latin letter info|m}}

'''M''', or '''m''', is the thirteenth [[Letter (alphabet)|letter]] of the [[Latin alphabet]], used in the [[English alphabet|modern English alphabet]], the alphabets of several [[Languages of Europe|western European languages]] and others worldwide. Its name in English is [[English alphabet#Letter names|''em'']] (pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|ɛ|m|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-M.wav}}), plural ''ems''.<ref>"M" ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]],'' 2nd edition (1989); ''[[Merriam-Webster]]'s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1993); "em," op. cit.</ref>

==History==
{| class="wikitable"
! Egyptian hieroglyph<br/>"n"
! Phoenician<br/>[[Mem]]
! Western Greek<br/>[[Mu (letter)|Mu]]
! Etruscan<br/>M
! Latin<br/>M
|--- align=center
|<hiero>n</hiero>
| [[File:PhoenicianM-01.svg|class=skin-invert-image|25x25px]]
| [[File:Greek Mu 04.svg|class=skin-invert-image|35px]]
| [[File:EtruscanM-01.svg|class=skin-invert-image|25px]]
| [[File:Capitalis monumentalis M.SVG|class=skin-invert-image|x30px|Latin M]]
|}
The letter M is derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] [[Mem]] via the [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] [[Mu (letter)|Mu]] (Μ,&nbsp;μ). [[Semitic alphabets|Semitic]] Mem is most likely derived from a "[[Proto-Sinaitic script|Proto-Sinaitic]]"  ([[Bronze Age]]) adoption of the [[N-water ripple (n hieroglyph)|"water" ideogram]] in [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|Egyptian writing]]. The Egyptian sign had the [[acrophonic]] value {{IPA|/n/}}, from the Egyptian word for "water", ''nt''; the adoption as the Semitic letter for {{IPA|/m/}} was presumably also on acrophonic grounds, from the [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] word for "water", ''[[:wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/maʾ-|*mā(y)-]]''.<ref>See F. Simons, "Proto-Sinaitic — Progenitor of the Alphabet" ''Rosetta'' 9 (2011):
Figure Two: "Representative selection of proto-Sinaitic characters with comparison to Egyptian hieroglyphs", (p. 38)
Figure Three: "Chart of all early proto-Canaanite letters with comparison to proto-Sinaitic signs" (p. 39),
Figure Four: "Representative selection of later proto-Canaanite letters with comparison to early proto-Canaanite and proto-Sinaitic signs" (p. 40). See also: Goldwasser (2010), following Albright (1966), "Schematic Table of Proto-Sinaitic Characters" ([https://www.apocalypse2008-2015.com/images/Proto-Sinaitic_Table.gif fig. 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703163923/http://apocalypse2008-2015.com/images/Proto-Sinaitic_Table.gif |date=2016-07-03 }}).</ref>

==Use in writing systems==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+ Pronunciation of {{angbr|m}} by language
! Orthography
! Phonemes
|-
! {{nwr|[[Standard Chinese]]}} ([[Pinyin]])
| {{IPAslink|m}}
|-
! [[English orthography|English]]
| {{IPAslink|m}}, ''silent''
|-
! [[French orthography|French]]
| {{IPAslink|m}}
|-
! [[German orthography|German]]
| {{IPAslink|m}}
|-
! [[Portuguese orthography|Portuguese]] 
| {{IPAslink|m}}, ''silent''
|-
! [[Spanish orthography|Spanish]]
| {{IPAslink|m}}
|-
! [[Turkish alphabet|Turkish]]
| {{IPAslink|m}}
|}

===English===
In [[English orthography|English]], {{angbr|m}} represents the [[voiced bilabial nasal]] {{IPA|/m/}}.

The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] (first edition) says that {{angbr|m}} is sometimes a [[vowel]], such as in words like ''spasm'' and in the [[suffix]] ''-ism''. In modern terminology, this is described as a [[syllabic consonant]] (IPA: {{IPA|/m̩/}}).

The digraph, "[[Mn (digraph)|mn]]," when used in the beginning of words, such as [[mnemonic]], is pronounced as /n/. This digraph is the only instance where the letter {{angbr|m}} is silent.

M is the [[Letter frequency|fourteenth most frequently used letter]] in the English language.

===Other languages===
The letter {{angbr|m}} represents the [[voiced bilabial nasal]] {{IPA|/m/}} in the orthography of Latin as well as in those of many modern [[language]]s. 

In [[Washo language|Washo]], lower-case {{angbr|m}} represents a [[voiced bilabial nasal]] {{IPA|/m/}}, while upper-case {{angbr|M}} represents a [[voiceless bilabial nasal]] {{IPA|/m̥/}}.

===Other systems===
In the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]], {{angbr|m}} represents the [[voiced bilabial nasal]] {{IPA|/m/}}.

==Other uses==
{{main article|M (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Miehikkala.vaakuna.svg|thumb|upright=0.7|Styled letter M in the coat of arms of [[Miehikkälä]]]]
* The [[Roman numeral]] M represents the number [[1000 (number)|1000]], though it was not used in [[Ancient Rome|Roman times]]. There is, however, scant evidence that the letter was later introduced in the early centuries A.D. by the Romans.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedintro0000gord | url-access=registration | quote=roman numerals. | title=Illustrated Introduction to Latin Epigraphy | publisher=[[University of California Press]] | date=1983 | access-date=3 October 2015 | author=Gordon, Arthur E. | pages=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedintro0000gord/page/45 45]| isbn=9780520038981 }}</ref>
* [[Unit prefix]] M (mega), meaning one million times, and m (milli) meaning one-thousandth.<ref name="freedict">{{cite web |url=https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/m |title=What does M stand for? |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=The Free Dictionary |publisher= |access-date=9 February 2021 |quote= |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125054852/https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/M |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="collins">{{cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/m_1 |title=M definition and meaning |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=Collins English Dictionary |publisher= |access-date=9 February 2021 |quote= |archive-date=27 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227212738/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/m_1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* m is the standard abbreviation for [[metre]] (or meter) in the [[International System of Units]] (SI).<ref name="freedict"/> However, m is sometimes also used as an abbreviation for [[mile]].<ref name="collins"/>
* M is used as the unit abbreviation for [[molar concentration|molarity]].<ref name="freedict" />
* With money amounts, m or M is ambiguous. In the finance industry,<ref>{{cite web |title=MM (Millions) |url=https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/fixed-income/mm-millions/ |website=corporatefinanceinstitute.com |publisher=corporate finance institute. |access-date=5 August 2024 |archive-date=August 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805214551/https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/fixed-income/mm-millions/ |url-status=live }}</ref> m or M means 1,000. In this context, five million dollars is written $5mm or $5MM. Outside of finance, some people use M like the metric system "[[mega-]]" to mean one million and write $5M.<ref name="freedict"/><ref name="collins"/>
* M often represents male or masculine, especially in conjunction with F for female or feminine.<ref name="freedict"/><ref name="collins"/>
* In typography, an [[em dash]] is a punctuation symbol whose width is similar to that of a capital letter M.
* M is used as a logo by many [[rapid transit]] systems, standing for "Metro" (or equivalents in other languages.)

==Related characters==
<!-- Please only list characters (symbols in a writing system, but not just convenience code points in Unicode) that are actually related in terms of origin to the letter that is the topic of this article. Characters that merely look subjectively similar need not apply. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Identifying_reliable_sources before adding more. -->

===Descendants and related characters in the Latin alphabet===

*M with [[diacritic]]s: [[Ḿ|Ḿ ḿ]] [[Dot (diacritic)|Ṁ ṁ Ṃ ṃ]] M̃ m̃ ᵯ<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2003/03174r2-mid-tilde.pdf|title=L2/03-174R2: Proposal to Encode Phonetic Symbols with Middle Tilde in the UCS|date=2003-09-30|first=Peter|last=Constable|access-date=2018-03-24|archive-date=2017-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011013938/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2003/03174r2-mid-tilde.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]-specific symbols related to M: {{IPA link|ɱ}} {{IPA link|ɰ}}
*Ɱ : [[Ɱ|Capital M with hook]]
*[[Uralic Phonetic Alphabet]]-specific symbols related to M:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02141-n2419-uralic-phonetic.pdf|title=L2/02-141: Uralic Phonetic Alphabet characters for the UCS|date=2002-03-20|first1=Michael|last1=Everson|author-link1=Michael Everson|display-authors=etal|access-date=2018-03-24|archive-date=2018-02-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219081033/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02141-n2419-uralic-phonetic.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
**{{Unichar|1D0D|LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL M}}
**{{Unichar|1D1F|LATIN SMALL LETTER SIDEWAYS TURNED M}}
**{{Unichar|1D39|MODIFIER LETTER CAPITAL M}}
**{{Unichar|1D50|MODIFIER LETTER SMALL M}}
**{{Unichar|1D5A|MODIFIER LETTER SMALL TURNED M}}
*Some symbols related to M were used by the Uralic Phonetic Alphabet prior to its formal standardization in 1902:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2009/09028-n3571-upa-additions.pdf|title=L2/09-028: Proposal to encode additional characters for the Uralic Phonetic Alphabet|date=2009-01-27|first1=Klaas|last1=Ruppel|first2=Tero|last2=Aalto|first3=Michael|last3=Everson|access-date=2018-03-24|archive-date=2017-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011014359/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2009/09028-n3571-upa-additions.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
**{{Unichar|2098|LATIN SUBSCRIPT SMALL LETTER M}}
**{{Unichar|A7FA|LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL TURNED M}}
*The [[Teuthonista]] phonetic transcription system uses {{Unichar|AB3A|LATIN SMALL LETTER M WITH CROSSED-TAIL}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2011/11202-n4081-teuthonista.pdf|title=L2/11-202: Revised proposal to encode "Teuthonista" phonetic characters in the UCS|date=2011-06-02|first1=Michael|last1=Everson|first2=Alois|last2=Dicklberger|first3=Karl|last3=Pentzlin|first4=Eveline|last4=Wandl-Vogt|access-date=2018-03-24|archive-date=2017-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011012426/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2011/11202-n4081-teuthonista.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Other variations used for phonetic transcription:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2004/04132-n2740-phonetic.pdf|title=L2/04-132 Proposal to add additional phonetic characters to the UCS|date=2004-04-19|first=Peter|last=Constable|access-date=2018-03-24|archive-date=2017-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011014355/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2004/04132-n2740-phonetic.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[ᶆ]] [[ᶬ]] [[ᶭ]]
*Ɯ ɯ : [[Ɯ|Turned M]]
*ꟽ : Inverted M was used in ancient Roman texts to stand for ''mulier'' (woman)<ref name="L206269">{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2006/06269-add-roman.pdf|title=L2/06-269: Proposal to Add Additional Ancient Roman Characters to UCS|date=2006-08-01|first=David J.|last=Perry|access-date=2018-03-24|archive-date=2019-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614231608/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2006/06269-add-roman.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
*ꟿ : Archaic M was used in ancient Roman texts to abbreviate the personal name 'Manius' (A regular capital M was used for the more common personal name 'Marcus')<ref name="L206269"/>
*ℳ : currency symbol for [[German gold mark|Mark]]

===Ancestors and siblings in other alphabets===
*𐤌 : [[Phoenician alphabet|Semitic]] letter [[Mem]], from which the following symbols originally derive:
**Μ μ : [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] letter [[Mu (letter)|Mu]], from which M derives
***{{Script|Copt|Ⲙ ⲙ}} : [[Coptic alphabet|Coptic]] letter Me, which derives from Greek Mu
***М м : [[Cyrillic]] letter [[Em (Cyrillic)|Em]], also derived from Mu
***𐌌 : [[Old Italic script|Old Italic]] M, which derives from Greek Mu, and is the ancestor of modern Latin M
****{{Script|Runr|ᛗ}} : [[Runes|Runic]] letter [[Mannaz]], which derives from old Italic M
***{{Script|Goth|𐌼}} : [[Gothic alphabet|Gothic]] letter manna, which derives from Greek Mu

===Ligatures and abbreviations===
*₥ : [[Mill (currency)]]
*{{not a typo|™}} : [[Trademark symbol]]
*{{not a typo|℠}} : [[Service mark symbol]]

==Other representations==
===Computing <span class="anchor" id="Computing codes"></span>===
* {{unichar | 004D }}
* {{unichar | 006D }} 
* {{unichar | FF2D |nlink=Half-width and full-width forms}}
* {{unichar | FF4D }}

===Other===
{{Letter other reps
|NATO=Mike
|Morse=––
|Character=M
|Braille=⠍
|fingerspelling=M
}}
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons-inline}}
*{{Wiktionary-inline|M}}
*{{Wiktionary-inline|m}}

{{Latin alphabet|M|}}

[[Category:ISO basic Latin letters]]