Marchen Letter Na

Use a Unicode picker or a hexadecimal input method.

A Unicode picker can locate Marchen Letter Na by name. For hexadecimal input, enter 11C7D where the app expects a code point; the exact shortcut depends on the app.

What does Marchen letter na do?

It writes the consonant na in Marchen.

Marchen is a Brahmic-derived abugida: a writing system where a consonant carries an inherent vowel that a vowel sign can change. In the Bön tradition, it is used to write the extinct Zhang-zhung language and also Tibetan in Bön settings. Traditional accounts link its origin to the ancient kingdom of Zhang-zhung. The 2013 final encoding proposal said no early Marchen texts were known, described the script as possibly more recent, and named a Zhang-zhung inscription on a bronze seal at Menri Monastery as one of the earliest known examples.

Unicode 16.0 describes continued use in Bön literature and modern-day inscriptions. Marchen consonants can stack vertically, with vowel signs arranged around the stack, so 𑱽 can form part of a written syllable. The Bön tradition also has other scripts, including Marchung, Pungchen, Pungchung, and Drusha; those are separate scripts, not alternate forms of 𑱽.

Why does the Marchen font show a different shape?

Calligraphic style and font support affect what you see.

A 2013 final encoding proposal describes two calligraphic styles: one thick and angular, the other thinner and rounded. Fonts can show the same letter in either style. If it appears as a square or blank, the font may lack Marchen coverage or the shaping support needed to display it.