Javanese Pada Andap

It opens a Javanese letter to someone higher-ranked than its writer. Called pada andap (also spelled pada andhap), it belongs to a set of formal Javanese punctuation marks: pada madya is for equals, pada luhur for a writer above the addressee, and pada guru avoids a rank distinction. It goes before the greeting.

An extant letter from Cirebon dated 1780–1797 uses pada andap at its formal opening. Javanese writing is historically connected with Kawi, an older script, and with the Balinese script; that broader script relationship does not make their punctuation interchangeable.

Someone sent me ꧃ — what does it mean?

Alone, it does not tell you who outranks whom. Its deference cue belongs to a letter with a writer and an addressee. In a standalone mixed-script message, treat the intent as unclear and ask the sender rather than assuming it signals deference.

Why does ꧃ look different in fonts?

The font must support Javanese, and the marks have different outlines. Fonts can draw the curves with different proportions; the related rank marks are distinguished by the height of the left-hand curve. A blank box or unfamiliar outline means the chosen font may lack the glyph.