Kawi Letter Cha

This is the Kawi consonant conventionally transliterated cha. The label does not fix one pronunciation across all languages written in Kawi. A bare consonant carries a built-in vowel, conventionally written a; a vowel sign changes it, another mark suppresses it, and a joining sign before another consonant forms a cluster.

Kawi script history begins with gradual development from Pallava, an earlier Brahmi-derived script; late Pallava and early Kawi overlapped. The earliest recognized Kawi record is the Plumpungan stele near Salatiga in Central Java, dated c. 750 CE. Kawi first served practical record-keeping, including land grants and royal orders, then literary and religious writing in Sanskrit and older forms of Javanese, Malay, Balinese, and Sundanese, on stone, copper plates, and palm leaves.

Kawi letterforms changed across places and centuries. Later styles contributed, directly or indirectly, to regional scripts including Javanese, Balinese, Batak, and Lontara. These are related writing systems with their own letterforms, not alternate spellings of 𑼘.

How do I build a Kawi syllable with it?

Begin with 𑼘, then add the mark the syllable needs. A vowel sign changes the built-in vowel; a suppressing sign removes it, while a joining sign before the next consonant makes a cluster. Fonts may render that cluster as a connected shape.

By itself, the letter identifies a Kawi consonant, but it does not tell you which word or message the writer intends.