What 𐧀 means
It means one in the Meroitic number system. A decimal system groups quantities by tens: unit signs such as this one could combine with separate signs for tens and hundreds to make larger numbers.
Meroitic cursive is attested by around 200 BCE in a text mentioning King Arnekhamani; this dates the script, not this individual number sign. The numerals recorded quantities, measures, taxes, and dates in funerary and monumental inscriptions.
When did Meroitic numeral use end?
It had ended by the fourth century CE. Meroitic numeral writing belonged to the kingdom of Kush, centered at Meroë. In a modern message without other clues, its literal reading remains one; context may give it a personal meaning.
Which Egyptian scripts connect to Meroitic?
Meroitic cursive developed partly from Egyptian Demotic. Demotic was a cursive script used for Egyptian. Meroitic hieroglyphs drew on Egyptian hieroglyphs for formal inscriptions. Some Meroitic numeral shapes are compared with late Egyptian hieratic, another cursive style; that comparison does not establish 𐧀 as a direct Egyptian copy.
Historical and specialist: it belongs to the numeral writing of ancient Kush.
𐧀 means one, but ASCII 1 is a different character.
Don't confuse it with
4Questions people ask
1Why does 𐧀 show as a box?
The font or text-layout software may not support the sign. As of 2026, Noto Sans Meroitic covers Meroitic Cursive, but the app also needs compatible text-layout support.
How to type 𐧀
𐧀\109C0Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.