Batak Letter A

It can stand for A or H, depending on its role.

In Batak script, ᯀ is the standalone-vowel letter A in Toba, Mandailing, Karo and Pakpak. Karo and Pakpak also use it for consonant H; Toba writes H with ᯂ, while Simalungun uses ᯁ for A. The script is used across several Batak language varieties, so check both the language and the glyph's role in the spelling before choosing a reading.

When was Batak writing first attested?

The oldest known Batak inscription is dated to the 13th century.

The stone inscription comes from Sitopayan in North Sumatra and belongs to a religious setting. Its letter forms are dated to the 13th century.

Traditional Batak writing served practical and ritual purposes. Datu, Batak ritual specialists, used bark books called pustaha for remedies, astrology, magic and divination; bamboo and bone carried other inscriptions, and Karo writing includes love laments. Batak has regional links to other Sumatran scripts and a wider South Asian script lineage connecting it with the Pallava script of southern India and Old Javanese Kawi, an early Javanese script.