Bamum Letter Phase-C Pen

𖣯 is a Bamum letter from Phase C. “Pen” is the Latin-letter label for its Bamum value, not a word for a writing tool in English.

King Ibrahim Njoya led the development of the Bamum script in western Cameroon from 1896–1910. Its earliest form used many signs for objects and actions; repeated revisions turned it into a syllabary, a system in which signs usually represent spoken syllables. Phase G is the modern form, also known as A-ka-u-ku.

Surviving Phase-C records from 1906–1908 include correspondence and an agricultural calendar. Bamum writing also served court administration, schooling and historical records, so older forms such as this one appear in archives.

When should I use 𖣯?

Use it for Phase-C Bamum text or historical transcription.

Phase C sits outside the modern Phase-G repertoire; specialist linguists and historians study older characters such as this one. Outside Bamum or archival contexts, a reader may not recognize the letter.

Bamum writing lost institutional support under colonial rule as education and local politics shifted. Accounts differ on claims that French authorities directly banned the script or destroyed the palace press and books.

How do I type 𖣯?

On Linux, use Unicode input: Ctrl+Shift+U, 168ef, Enter.

The character needs a font with Bamum Supplement coverage. If a box appears, the font cannot draw it; the underlying text character has not changed.