Mongolian letter ba

It is the Mongolian-script letter ba, transliterated as b.

The vertical Mongolian script developed around the beginning of the thirteenth century from Old Uyghur writing, itself adapted from Sogdian, which was based on Aramaic. The Yisüngge stele—an inscribed stone monument—is likely the earliest surviving example in this script, dated 1224–1225. By 1206, the Mongol court needed records, accounts, and official documents, giving the script a practical administrative role.

What if someone sends ᠪ alone?

It names a letter; it is not a complete word. If it arrives by itself, read it as a letter sample or a fragment unless the surrounding message gives you another clue.

Why does ᠪ change shape?

Its displayed form depends on neighboring letters. Traditional Mongolian is written vertically and cursively: ᠪ can take isolated, initial, medial, or final forms. These are contextual shapes of one encoded letter. Invisible joiners, non-joiners, or variation selectors can change how the text shapes.

In ᠠᠪᠤ, the Mongolian word for “father,” ᠪ can merge with the following vowel ᠤ into one connected shape, called a ligature. The Mongolian script also became the basis for related writing systems: Manchu adapted it for another language, while Todo and Sibe developed as related forms. Inner Mongolian reforms tried Cyrillic and Latin replacements during 1954–1980, but traditional writing remained in use. As of 2025, vertical writing still served as both a means of communication and a cultural tradition.