Quotation Marks in Greek: A Handy Little Tip

In written Greek, these marks «_» work just like the English-style quotes “_”. For example:

Το σημείωμα στην πόρτα έγραφε: «Επιστρέφω σε λίγο».

Which translates to: The sign on the door said, “Be back soon.”

These marks aren’t just for quoting speech, though. We also use them to show that a word or phrase is being used figuratively, ironically, or with some doubt—very much like scare quotes in English. Take this example:

Λένε ότι είναι «φίλοι».

Which translates to: They say they’re “friends.”

These quotation marks suggest that the speaker doesn’t fully believe they’re real friends—there’s a hint of doubt or irony.

While written Greek uses the symbols « and », there isn't a specific hand gesture equivalent to air quotes in Greek culture. 🖐️ But here is something interesting: Often, when younger speakers of Greek want to show irony or doubt while speaking, they use the same air quotes gesture that English speakers do! So, guess what—you might already know how to signal irony using gestures in "Greek"😉