Bamum Letter Phase-E Mgben

It is an old Bamum sign, not an English word.

“Mgben” is the sign’s Bamum reading label, not an English translation. Old Bamum writing served the Bamum language of western Cameroon; this character belongs to an earlier stage of that script.

If 𖦥 arrives alone, its intended role or word cannot be recovered from the glyph alone. Ask for the surrounding Bamum text or context.

Why is it called Phase-E Mgben?

Phase-E marks the last phase in which the character appears.

Bamum writing developed in western Cameroon between 1896–1910, mostly under King Ibrahim Njoya and his scribes. It began with hundreds of signs for objects and ideas, used partly as a memory aid. Revisions removed signs and reassigned some values as the system moved toward a syllabary, where signs represent syllables.

Bamum writing recorded history and knowledge, letters, and palace administration. Few substantial works are thought to survive from 1896–1899, the initial period. Colonial restrictions later pushed older forms out of public use; historians and language specialists study them through manuscripts and heritage work.

How do I type 𖦥?

Use a Unicode character picker; regular keyboards usually lack this key.

A standard keyboard layout generally has no dedicated key for Old Bamum. A Unicode picker may let you search by the character name, depending on the device and app.

If the chosen font lacks Bamum Supplement coverage, 𖦥 may appear as a box or blank even when it is present in the text. Choose a font with support for these historic characters; a different outline is only a font rendering.