Cherokee letter De

It represents the Cherokee syllable “de.”

The chart's Latin-letter reading is “de.” Its first sound is close to English d, though Cherokee d can lean toward t. One syllable alone does not identify a complete Cherokee word; the surrounding syllables provide that meaning.

How did the Cherokee syllabary begin?

The Cherokee syllabary developed in recognizable form between 1815 and 1821; those dates describe the writing system, not a separate first appearance for Ꮥ. Sequoyah moved from trying signs for whole words to a practical set of syllable signs, so Cherokee could be written and read.

The Cherokee Nation adopted the syllabary in 1825. Samuel Worcester and Cherokee collaborators adapted handwritten forms for printing; the type was finalized in 1827, and the Cherokee Phoenix began printing Cherokee in 1828. Print carried laws and news and helped maintain community continuity as Cherokee communities were dispersed. Ꮥ's syllable value remained “de.”

In the Cherokee chart, Ꮥ belongs to the d/t syllable series. These are related Cherokee syllables, not Latin letters with borrowed shapes.

How do I type Ꮥ?

Use a Cherokee phonetic keyboard and enter “de.”

A phonetic layout converts Latin-letter transliteration into Cherokee syllabary. A one-key syllabary layout uses its own mapping, so the physical key depends on the layout.

Ꮥ is the uppercase form; ꮥ is its lowercase partner. Fonts may draw them as distinct shapes, but both represent the same syllable.