Modifier Letter Small N With Left Hook

It is a superscript modifier associated with the IPA letter ɲ. Unicode's chart treats it as an approximate raised counterpart to ɲ. In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), ɲ represents the voiced palatal nasal, a consonant like Spanish ñ. The raised ᶮ can modify a transcription instead of standing as that full-size consonant.

The modifier is documented in print by 1994, in phonetician John Laver's phonetics book; later examples appear in work by Evans (1995) and Pigott (1997), years before its 2005 Unicode encoding. Raised modifier letters let linguistic descriptions annotate sound details alongside a main consonant, including a secondary nasal sound at its start or release.

A 2003 proposal described this split: IPA-oriented accounts may use full-size ɲ or a sequence for the same phonetic detail, while descriptive linguistic works may retain a raised modifier even when it is not an official IPA recommendation. The modifier alone does not name one universal sound.

How do I use and enter ᶮ?

Use it only where the transcription system calls for a superscript modifier. Do not silently replace it with full-size ɲ: that changes a modifier into the consonant letter.

Fonts can draw the hook differently and place the raised letter at different heights. Unicode's chart drawing is a reference, not a required outline, so one typeface's silhouette is not the definition.