Kawi Letter A

It writes an independent short a vowel. Kawi is an abugida: a consonant normally carries an inherent a sound, while 𑼄 writes the vowel as a separate letter.

The recognizable Kawi script developed in Java from forms derived from the Pallava script, a South Indian writing tradition, during the eighth-century inscriptional period. It appeared on royal grants and orders, dedications for religious institutions, court literature, and books written on palm leaves. It was used for Sanskrit and earlier forms of Javanese, Malay, Balinese, and Sundanese.

Kawi became a historical source for later regional scripts across island Southeast Asia. It stopped being everyday writing as those scripts developed, while Bali continued to preserve much Old Javanese literature. A 2025 Unicode description notes renewed interest, including some social-media use for modern Javanese and Indonesian; for 𑼄, the setting changed, not its role as the independent a letter.

Why can 𑼄 look different or disappear?

Its visible shape depends on the font that renders it. Kawi typefaces can draw the letter differently. If it appears as a box or blank, the app or font may lack Kawi coverage; that is a display problem, not a change in the letter.

As of 2026-09-14, Noto Sans Kawi was available as a dedicated Kawi font. Keyboard and software support are separate from font support.