Kawi Letter Ra

It writes the consonant r with an inherent a vowel. Kawi consonants normally carry an a-like vowel. A vowel mark changes it; the killer mark suppresses it, while the conjoiner mark joins consonants into a cluster. A repha sign writes r before another consonant within a syllable.

Kawi is a Brahmic script, part of a South and Southeast Asian writing family descended from ancient Brahmi. It developed in Java from a South Indian writing style called Pallava; that label names a script tradition, not proof that the Pallava dynasty introduced it. From the 8th–16th centuries, Kawi was used across island Southeast Asia for Old Javanese, Sanskrit, Old Malay, Old Balinese, and Old Sundanese. The Dinaya inscription, around 760 CE, is cited as an early specimen of Old Javanese script. Kawi appears in inscriptions, records engraved on copper plates, and books written on palm leaves, serving administration, religion, and literature.

Kawi letterforms varied across regions. Later Kawi traditions gave rise to scripts including Javanese and Balinese; their corresponding ra letters are ꦫ and ᬭ. Unicode records renewed interest in Kawi in the 21st century, including some social-media writing of modern Javanese or Indonesian.

How do I type 𑼬?

For longer Kawi text, use a keyboard or input method that supports Kawi.