Gujarati letter ba

બ is a voiced b, with Gujarati’s built-in vowel.

Like the b in English “bat,” બ is a voiced consonant. Without a vowel sign, it carries the vowel built into Gujarati consonants; a dependent vowel sign changes that vowel, while the virama ્ suppresses it and gives બ્. In a consonant cluster, બ may join another letter.

Fonts can show a cluster as a half-form, a ligature, or with a visible virama; the exact shape depends on font rendering.

Where did Gujarati બ come from?

બ belongs to a writing system developed from Nagari.

Gujarati script developed from the Nagari tradition and is related to Devanagari. The corresponding Devanagari letter is ब. Gujarati forms lack the horizontal head line found across many Devanagari letters. Gujarati also has a historical connection to older Kaithi, another Indian writing system. Its head-line-free cursive hand suited fast correspondence and merchant account books.

A manuscript dated 1592 is the earliest surviving Gujarati-script witness; a 1797 advertisement is the script’s first known print appearance. Gujarati was used for letters and business accounts while Devanagari served more literary or academic writing; this division lasted until the 19th century.

How do I type Gujarati બ?

Use Gujarati Phonetic or Gujarati INSCRIPT on Windows.

The 2024 Windows Gujarati input guidance lists both routes. With Gujarati Phonetic, type ba and choose a Gujarati suggestion; with Gujarati INSCRIPT on a US keyboard, press y for બ. Phonetic input turns Latin keystrokes into candidates; INSCRIPT assigns Gujarati letters to fixed keys.