What ॰ means
It marks a shortened Devanagari word, title, or phrase.
In Hindi, डॉ॰ shortens doctor, पं॰ shortens pandit (a learned title), and रु॰ abbreviates rupee. Between initials, as in एम॰ ए॰, it marks each shortened group; the surrounding letters tell you what to expand.
A small circle or bindu (dot) used for abbreviations is recorded in inscriptions and manuscripts in the 12th century. Prakrit-language manuscripts also use such a mark where readers restore omitted letters, keeping names and words compact but recoverable.
How do I type ॰?
Use a Devanagari-aware keyboard layout.
Shortcuts depend on the selected layout: Keyman Hindi ITRANS maps comma to ॰, while Windows Devanagari InScript uses AltGr + comma. Both mappings were documented as of September 2026.
Is ॰ the same as a period?
No. It marks shortening; a period ends a sentence.
Nityānanda’s Sanskrit scientific treatise Siddhāntasindhu, completed in the early 1630s, uses ॰ inside a long word such as गिणत॰. The mark signals an omitted stretch that the reader supplies from context, not a sentence ending.
Kaithi, Takri, Sharada, and Gurmukhi each have their own script-specific abbreviation signs. Each belongs to its own script.
A written abbreviation mark used in Hindi and Sanskrit text.
Do not read it as Devanagari zero ०: zero is a numeral; this mark signals shortening.
What it means when someone sends it to you
3 readingsDon't confuse it with
3Combination ideas
3Questions people ask
1Why does ॰ show as a box on some devices?
Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.
How to type ॰
॰\0970Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.