What ۺ means
It marks a sound in particular writing systems.
In Arabi-Malayalam, a way of writing Malayalam with Arabic script, ۺ is the ṣa letter corresponding to Malayalam ഷ. The added dot below distinguishes it; it is part of the letter, not decoration. Arabi-Malayalam adapted Arabic letters to represent Malayalam sounds.
In Kumzari, a Southwestern Iranian language also written with an Arabic-based script, ۺ is called cīn and represents /tʃ/ (the sound at the start of “cheese”). The letter’s shape is based on Arabic sheen, ش, with an added dot below. The Arabi-Malayalam tradition includes Muḥy al-Dīn Māla, a devotional poem composed in 1607.
A specialist letter: its sound is clear within its writing system, but the letter alone gives little context.
For ordinary Arabic sheen, use ش; ۺ has an additional dot below.
Drift: As of 2022, Arabi-Malayalam had declined outside community use, though some Kerala religious organisations still used it in textbooks.
Who writes ۺ
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Don't confuse it with
1
Related characters
2
Questions people ask
1Why does ۺ change shape in a word?
Arabic-script letters join their neighbours, so the outline can change with position. It remains the same letter; a font may also affect how clearly its dot appears.
More like this
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How to type or find ۺ
- Search it as
- sheen with dot below · Arabi-Malayalam letter · Kumzari cīn · Arabic letter underdot
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
ۺ\06FACodes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.