Grantha Letter La

It is the Grantha consonant la, with an inherent vowel.

Grantha’s standard Latin transliteration is la: the consonant is l with the built-in vowel a. A vowel sign changes that vowel; the virama mark removes it. By itself, 𑌲 names a consonant, so read it as a letter sample or lookup cue unless surrounding text says more.

Why did Grantha develop?

It let South Indian writers spell Sanskrit with its own distinctions.

Grantha developed in South India for writing Sanskrit. Traditional Tamil writing had fewer distinct consonant letters; Grantha supplied letters for Sanskrit distinctions that Tamil spelling did not show directly. Intermediate forms appear in early inscriptions under the Pallavas, a South Indian dynasty, by the 4th century CE. The script continued through changing inscription and manuscript styles.

Grantha and Tamil scripts share roots in South Indian forms of Brahmi, an older Indian writing system, but they are not interchangeable. Manuscripts place them side by side in commentary, blessings, and closing notes. The Malayalam script later developed from Grantha. Later printing and language-nationalist policies made some mixed-script practices less visible.

How do I type 𑌲?

Use a Grantha keyboard layout or a romanized online input method.

Use a Grantha INSCRIPT layout for direct keyboard entry. An online Grantha keyboard accepts Latin keystrokes la, then lets you select a vowel sign or virama. As of 2026, both routes are documented.

If 𑌲 appears blank, check that the active font supports Grantha; the character can be present even when the font cannot draw it.