Malayalam letter Nna

It is Malayalam’s retroflex n, made with the tongue tip curled back.

Say the Malayalam n with the tongue tip drawn back and let the sound pass through your nose. This curled-back tongue position is called retroflex; it distinguishes ണ from Malayalam ന, whose n is made farther forward. Malayalam consonants carry an inherent a-vowel unless a vowel sign changes it; a virama removes that vowel so consonants can join.

The Vazhappally inscription, about 830 CE, is the earliest known written evidence of Malayalam, but it does not date this letter’s first appearance. Early Malayalam used Vatteluttu, a script developed from Tamil-Brahmi. Writers also borrowed Grantha-derived forms for Sanskrit-rich writing when Vatteluttu lacked needed consonants; these traditions shaped modern Malayalam. Tamil ண is the counterpart in that script.