Lepcha Letter Da

Press d on the SIL phonetic Lepcha layout.

That layout maps the Latin d key directly to this letter; other keyboards can differ. Type a dependent vowel sign after its consonant, even when it renders to the left.

What sound does ᰌ mark?

It marks the d sound at the start of a Lepcha syllable.

Each Lepcha consonant letter carries its own vowel. A vowel sign can change it, and a separate mark can close the syllable with a final consonant. ᰣ instead carries a vowel at the start of a syllable.

Why is Lepcha script related to Tibetan?

The Lepcha script grew from Tibetan writing.

Its letterforms were adapted from Tibetan writing arranged in vertical columns. Lepcha reoriented them for left-to-right lines and added separate signs for syllable-final consonants. The script is thought to date to around 1720; its maker is disputed. Unicode credits Sikkim ruler Chakdor Namgyal, Lepcha tradition names scholar Thikung Mensalong, and a Tibetan tradition names Buddhist lama Lhatsun Chenpo. Historian R. K. Sprigg leaves unknown or shared authorship open. Accounts connect its early purpose to Buddhist missionary work: writing Lepcha and translating Tibetan religious books.

Sprigg's earliest datable documents are two eyewitness reports about a political killing, filed 14 April 1828. Later surviving writing includes religious, moral, political, and personal records. A traditional primer, Lazóng, teaches letters and syllables by recitation; Lepcha literature also includes stories, folk songs, poems, prayers, and religious works. In 2025–2026, Lepcha was taught in Sikkim's schools and universities, and the language appeared in a government newspaper and radio broadcasts.