Manichaean letter He

Use a Unicode-aware editor's hexadecimal input. As of 2026, Windows Word or Outlook accepts 10AC6 followed by Alt+X; GTK Linux uses Ctrl+Shift+U, 10AC6, then Enter. On macOS, use Character Viewer because Unicode Hex Input cannot handle five-digit values.

Manichaean HE is non-joining, so it does not connect to the next letter; a gap can be correct. An empty square or replacement mark usually means the font lacks Manichaean coverage. A font that supports the script can display it.

What did Manichaean writing record?

It records letters in a historical writing system. Manichaean writers used the script for religious works in several Iranian languages and Old Uyghur. Scholars connect its model to Syriac or Aramaic writing close to Palmyrene; its adaptation is associated with Mani or his community. Manichaean spellings followed speech more closely than Pahlavi, a way of writing Middle Persian that could keep historical spellings or use Aramaic words read aloud as Iranian.

The Manichaean movement began in the third century CE. Syriac-Manichaean fragments from Middle Egypt dated around the 4th century CE are among the earliest surviving witnesses. Central Asian manuscripts preserve Middle Persian, Parthian, Sogdian, Bactrian, and Old Uyghur texts. During the 8th–10th centuries, Uyghur rulers officially supported Manichaeism. Turfan manuscripts reflect its move into court-backed book culture, and some preserve laypeople's recitation notes.

Manichaean writing is historically linked with Estrangela, an older style of Syriac writing, and Palmyrene, a form of Aramaic writing. These are related traditions, not interchangeable fonts. Manichaean writing also recorded Sogdian, an Iranian language; the later Uyghur script developed from Sogdian writing.