Combining Retroflex Hook Below

Attach it after the letter it modifies. A diacritic is a mark that changes how a written sound is read; this one signals retroflexion, made by curling the tongue tip back toward the roof of the mouth. In t̢, the mark modifies t.

A Unicode archive quotes a 1989 comment tracing its route into computer encoding through bibliographic standards—shared rules for library records and language transcription that used hook marks. An IPA chart in 1926 shows hook-bearing retroflex letters and an underdot for retroflexion. In 1928, the underdot was reassigned to mark close vowels, made with the tongue high in the mouth. As of 2026, the IPA symbol list labels this mark “diacritic retroflexion.”

Why does this hook float?

Its order and the font’s mark support decide how it attaches. Combining marks follow the letter they modify; put this one first or leave it alone, and it has no letter to join. The dotted circle in ◌̢ is a specimen placeholder showing the attachment point, not part of the text.

Hook overlays need careful font placement, and Unicode does not treat this mark sequence as equivalent to a preformed character just because it looks similar. A 2006 Charis SIL font note listed the mark as absent by design in that font, so valid text may render poorly or not at all there.