What 𐀷 means
It writes the syllable wa, not a standalone word. This Linear B wa sign records one syllable; the surrounding signs make the word. Its sound is roughly like English “wah.”
Linear B adapted the older Cretan Linear A tradition. Surviving records from about 1450–1150 BCE are mainly palace accounts of goods, workers, allocations, and offerings.
Why is 𐀷 in wa-na-ka?
It opens the spelling of a Mycenaean palace ruler’s title. At Knossos and Pylos, two palace centers, the full Linear B spelling wa-na-ka names the ruler; 𐀷 contributes only its first syllable.
In Classical Greek and Homeric usage, the related forms wanax and anax mean “lord” and can address kings or gods.
A related script, the Cypriot syllabary, also writes syllables. It was used about 800–200 BCE and may descend through Cypro-Minoan; the later Greek alphabet is a separate tradition.
Why does 𐀷 appear as a box?
The active font may not contain a Linear B glyph. Unicode identifies 𐀷, while the font draws its outline. A missing-glyph box usually means the font cannot render it; the character itself has not changed. As of 2026, Noto Sans Linear B documentation lists support for Linear B characters.
Historical and specialist; its natural setting is a Linear B text or a discussion of Mycenaean writing.
Do not read “king” from 𐀷 alone; that title is spelled wa-na-ka.
Part of the collection
Who writes 𐀷
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Related characters
2
Combination ideas
1Questions people ask
1Is the box a different character?
No. It usually means the active font lacks a Linear B glyph; the box is a rendering failure, not another reading.
More like this
11
How to type or find 𐀷
- Also called
- wa · B054 wa · Linear B wa
- Search it as
- wa-na-ka · wanax
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𐀷\10037𐀷.\u{10037}.Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.