An alphabet is a writing system based on a set of letters, each representing a different sound. When combined, these elements provide a visual representation of language, forming syllables, words, and sentences. Multiple languages can use one alphabet, with more or less specific variations to better suit each language.

Example: French, English and Italian use the Latin alphabet, also called Latin script.

In East Asian typeface design (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), characters (commonly called Hanzi) are settled in a squared frame, the same for all characters of one typeface.

The glyph surface (字面 in Chinese, literally ‘face of the character’) is the area occupied by the character in its square.