Ethiopic syllable gu

It writes a syllable with a g consonant and a u vowel. The Latin label gu approximates the reading; the language around it determines its exact pronunciation and role in the word.

How do I type ጉ?

On Keyman’s Modern Geʾez layout, lowercase gu produces ጉ. Uppercase Gu produces ጙ on that layout; these are separate Ethiopic syllables, not uppercase and lowercase versions of one letter. Other layouts may map different keys.

The g-series forms are distinct syllables with different vowel values. Replacing ጉ with ገ changes the syllable, rather than changing its font or style.

Where did Ethiopic writing come from?

It developed from South Arabian writing over many centuries. South Arabian writing entered the region around the eighth century BCE. Clearly defined Ethiopic-script inscriptions appear in the second or third centuries CE. By the fourth century CE, vowel notation had reshaped the consonant alphabet into a syllable-based system. These dates describe the writing tradition, not the origin date of ጉ itself.

South Arabian inscriptions include funerary, religious, and administrative records; Ethiopian inscriptions also record everyday language. Geʽez has a liturgical role, while Ethiopic writing is also used for modern Amharic, Tigrinya, Tigre, and other languages. The glyph alone does not signal whether its setting is sacred, formal, or everyday.