Cherokee letter Te

It represents one Cherokee syllable; the word gives it meaning.

The recognizable Cherokee syllabary developed through Sequoyah’s work between 1815–1821. Cave inscriptions have been interpreted as possible experiments in Cherokee writing from the early-nineteenth-century, but that reading is disputed.

The syllabary was made to write Cherokee speech, with one sign for each syllable. The Cherokee Nation adopted it in 1825; Samuel Worcester’s printed type was finalized in 1827, and the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper began in 1828. It also appeared in laws and religious texts. As of 2026, Cherokee teaching and public writing continue in Oklahoma and North Carolina.

Why does Ꮦ look like Latin letters?

Printing changed some shapes; their sounds remain Cherokee.

Some printed Cherokee forms resemble Latin letters, but the resemblance does not transfer Latin sounds. Cherokee is an Iroquoian language related to Mohawk and Seneca; those languages do not share this writing system. As of 2026, possible Cherokee influence on Liberia’s Vai script remains unsettled in scholarship. That proposed connection concerns the syllabary as a whole.

How do I type Ꮦ?

Use a Cherokee keyboard layout; the key depends on the layout.

Cherokee layouts may map syllables directly to keys or use a phonetic method that turns Latin transliteration into Cherokee. As of 2026, the Cherokee Nation publishes keyboard charts and installers. Latin te alone is not a universal shortcut for Ꮦ.