What 𑌉 means
It is Grantha’s independent short-u vowel letter.
Grantha u writes the short Sanskrit vowel when no consonant comes before it. The dependent sign 𑍁 attaches that vowel to a consonant; 𑌊 writes the long version. Sanskrit distinguishes short and long vowels, so these forms are not interchangeable.
Grantha developed from Brahmi over time; intermediate forms are attested by the fourth century CE, with early examples in inscriptions of early Pallava kings. In the Tamil region, it let writers record Sanskrit sounds not represented in Tamil script. Manuscripts used it alongside Tamil in commentary, marginal blessings, colophons, and Manipravalam, a mixed Sanskrit–Tamil literary tradition; early print narrowed much of this manuscript practice.
Why is Grantha letter u blank?
A font or app may lack Grantha support.
As of 2026, Windows can shape Grantha with a suitable OpenType font, but individual apps may not select that font or provide fallback. Try a font that supports Grantha before treating a blank box as a faulty character.
On a transliteration keyboard, select the standalone u; uu or U maps to the long vowel. A Grantha InScript layout also provides an independent-vowel key for 𑌉.
Use it in Grantha orthography, especially for Sanskrit text; it is not a decorative replacement for Latin u.
Do not use 𑌊 for short u or 𑍁 as a standalone vowel.
Don't confuse it with
2Questions people ask
1Why does 𑌉 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 𑌉
𑌉\11309Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.