Cham Letter Pha

It writes a p released with a puff of air.

ꨜ is a consonant at the start of an Eastern Cham syllable. A bare consonant normally carries a built-in vowel; a vowel sign can change it, and a final consonant can complete the syllable.

Cham writing grew from South Indian Pallava forms. Early inscriptions used it for Sanskrit and royal, political, and religious records. The Đông Yên Châu inscription, the earliest surviving Cham-language evidence, is placed around the late 4th century.

Why are Eastern and Western Cham different?

ꨜ belongs to Eastern Cham; Western Cham uses a distinct script.

Cham-language texts are attested by the 9th century. From the 16th century, Middle Cham manuscripts carried the tradition forward, shifting writing from public inscriptions toward community literacy and preservation.

Eastern and Western Cham are related traditions with distinct scripts and conventions. Western Cham also uses Jawi, a writing system based on Arabic script. Eastern Cham text may not be readable to Western Cham readers, so this letter belongs to Eastern Cham spelling.

How do I type the Cham letter pha?

Place the base before its marks in stored text.

Type ꨜ first, followed by any medial sign, vowel sign, lengthener, and final consonant. A dependent vowel sign follows the base in text even if it appears to the left or around it on screen. Cham syllables do not stack consonants into conjuncts.

If the letter appears as a box or a different character, the font may lack Cham coverage or the text may have been substituted. That changes the display, not the letter’s identity.