What ⶎ means
It writes a Me’en syllable; the surrounding word gives it meaning.
Joa is the syllable label. In Me’en spelling, this sign contributes a sound to a word; the complete word carries the meaning.
Why was this syllable added?
The extension added syllables missing from the basic Ethiopic inventory.
The proposal drew on Ethiopia’s 2002 national character-set standard. A 2004 naming revision used oa for an open vowel between the sounds of “o” and “a.”
Don't confuse it with
4Questions people ask
1Why does joa show as a box?
A missing font glyph can cause the box. As of 2026, a browser or app may lack an available font that covers Ethiopic Extended; that changes the display, not the character.
How to type ⶎ
Windows (Word)
Alt+XType 2D8E, then Alt+X to get ⶎ.
Windows
Win+Rrun charmap for the full table, or use the emoji picker's Ω symbols tab (Win + .).
macOS
Control+Command+SpaceOpen the character viewer and search “ethiopic syllable joa”.
Linux
Ctrl+Shift+UType 2d8e, then Enter or Space.
HTML
ⶎCSS
\2D8EHow to type joa
In a Unicode picker that accepts hexadecimal input, enter `2D8E`; exact keystrokes depend on your system and app.
Codes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
ⶎ
HTML hex
ⶎ
CSS content
content: "\2D8E";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%E2%B6%8E
1
On screen
1
Code points
1
JS .length
3
UTF-8 bytes
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.