Javanese Letter Ma

It represents the syllable ma in Javanese writing.

The letter is transliterated as ma and carries an inherent vowel. A vowel sign changes that vowel; pangkon, a mark that cancels it, or a following consonant written in joined form leaves the m without its usual vowel. The joined consonant is called subjoined.

The Javanese script's Brahmi-derived lineage passed through Pallava forms from South India and the Kawi script. Kawi, used from the 8th to the 16th centuries, is a common ancestor of Javanese and Balinese writing. Old Javanese inscriptions include a Central Javanese stone dated 743 CE and the Disunuh inscription dated 787 CE; the modern script took shape around the 15th century. It served inscriptions, court and religious writing, administration, and manuscripts, and remained in broad use in Java until about 1945.

What does ꦩ mean if someone sends it?

Alone, it is the Javanese syllable ma.

A reader familiar with Javanese writing can read it as part of a word; someone unfamiliar with the script may take it for decoration. If it arrives alone, ask what the sender meant.

In the undated Aji Saka origin legend, the closing sequence Ma Ga Ba Tha Nga is glossed as “both become corpses.” It is a phrase in the alphabet's story. Across periods, Javanese, Arabic, and Latin scripts have all been used in Java; script choice can signal a text's language, religious setting, institution, or heritage.

How do I type ꦩ?

Use a Javanese input method to type it in a word.

A Javanese keyboard or converter can enter the character in words; a Latin m key produces a Latin letter instead. Check vowel signs and joined consonants after conversion.

If it appears as a box, the font or app lacks a usable Javanese glyph or shaping path. Clusters also need shaping support.