Mandaic Letter An

It records the n sound inside a Mandaic word. The Unicode name uses an for this alphabet position; older Mandaic charts call it na. Its meaning comes from the word it spells.

Mandaic writing appears in sacred liturgy and ritual texts, and in Neo-Mandaic, the modern form of the language. This letter keeps its sound inside those words; it does not act as a word on its own.

Where did the Mandaic script come from?

One account places its formation in the late Parthian period. A study dates that formation especially to the second century CE and links the script's shapes with writing used by the Parthian chancery. Its precise ancestry is debated; proposals include cursive Aramaic and Parthian influence.

The oldest dateable magical texts are placed in the third or fourth century CE on incantation bowls—bowls inscribed with protective spells—and lead tablets. Mandaic writing served liturgy and protective rituals; some magical manuscripts open with alphabet sequences, treating the script as sacred art. The manuscript Marsh 691 was copied in 1529–1530 CE.

How do I type this Mandaic character?

Use Mandaic input and a font that shapes right-to-left text. Mandaic letters join to their neighbors, and ࡍ can connect on both sides. Its shape may therefore differ inside a word. A box usually means the active font lacks Mandaic glyphs.

For one character, enter U+084D through a Unicode input method available on your device; the shortcut varies by system. For longer writing, as of 2026, Keyman's Mandaic phonetic keyboard handles input and Noto Sans Mandaic supplies a font.