Ethiopic Syllable Mi

Type m, then i on a mnemonic layout.

A mnemonic layout groups keystrokes by consonant and vowel. On an Amharic fidel keyboard, enter m for the consonant family, then i for this vowel form. “Fidel” means the Ethiopic writing system. Other layouts may use different keys; select the i form in the m row.

What does ሚ mean?

It represents the m+i syllable in Ethiopic writing.

Inside a word, it contributes one consonant-vowel unit; neighboring syllables supply the rest. Other forms in the Ethiopic m series pair the same consonant with different vowels.

ሚ belongs to a gradual script change, not a one-off invention. The Ethiopic script developed from South Arabian consonant writing. Inscriptions from Ethiopia and Eritrea described as pseudo-Sabaean (similar to the ancient Sabaean script of South Arabia) date to the 8th/7th centuries BC. A distinct Ethiopic script appears in inscriptions from the second/third centuries CE; vowel-marked syllable forms developed by the fourth century. The script first wrote Ge'ez, an Ethiopian language, and later also served Amharic, Tigrinya, and Tigre.