Limbu Digit One

It means one in Limbu numerals.

A Limbu number uses the script’s own decimal digits. The value is one, while the shape identifies the numeral system; a document can mix Limbu digits with Devanagari or Arabic-Indic ones.

Why is the Limbu script’s history contested?

Tradition and surviving records point to different beginnings.

Limbu tradition places an earlier script in the 9th century, but historical documents do not verify that predecessor. The better-attested form, associated with Srijanga, belongs to the 18th century; he spread a distinct way to record Limbu oral tradition.

The oldest known Limbu writings were collected in Darjeeling in the 1850s; the modern form began developing in Kalimpong in 1925. Nepal’s Rana autocracy, a hereditary ruling period (1846–1951), outlawed the script. After democracy returned in the 1990s, new Limbu religious and literary publishing appeared. Limbu is a Brahmic script, part of a broad family of writing systems used across South Asia. Historical accounts describe influence from nearby Lepcha writing, while some forms visually resemble Tibetan. Limbu writing has also served as a marker of Indigenous identity.

Why might ᥇ display as a box?

The font needs coverage for the Limbu script.

If ᥇ shows as a box, use a font with Limbu coverage, such as Noto Sans Limbu or Namdhinggo. Some Limbu text also needs complex-text shaping, though this standalone digit does not form a shaping sequence.