Cherokee Small Letter Nv

It is the lowercase Cherokee form of the syllable “nv.”

The Cherokee syllabary is a writing system in which each sign represents a spoken syllable. ꮕ contributes that syllable inside a Cherokee word; alone, it leaves context to show whether it is a complete word or a fragment.

Around 1821, Sequoyah's recognizable syllabary took shape after he shifted from marks for words to signs for the syllables of spoken Cherokee.

Why was the Cherokee syllabary created?

To write spoken Cherokee and share information.

Sequoyah's syllabary made correspondence and public writing possible; the Cherokee Nation used it in its constitution and laws. The bilingual Cherokee Phoenix newspaper printed Cherokee with adapted metal type in 1827–28.

During forced removal, Cherokee print helped maintain communication and collective identity across displacement. In case-aware typography, lowercase Cherokee can also sit beside Latin text.

How do I type ꮕ without getting the wrong character?

Choose an input layout that supports lowercase Cherokee.

In 2018, Gboard's Android keyboard included the option “Cherokee (Single-Case).” A single-case layout may not offer ꮕ; check its output because Ꮕ is uppercase.

As of 2024, older Cherokee fonts could still lack lowercase glyphs, making ꮕ appear as a square.