Multani Letter I

It marks i and can also stand for a y-like sound.

In Multani, 𑊁 is an independent vowel letter for short /i/ (as in “sit”) and long /iː/ (as in “machine”). In some spellings it stands for the semivowel /j/—the y-like glide at the start of English “yes”—in place of Multani Letter Ya.

Multani belongs to the Landa family of scripts, used for everyday and commercial writing. This family follows a model based on Brahmi, an older South Asian script. Multani is historically related to Gurmukhi, another South Asian script, and more distantly connected to Khudawadi and Khojki. A 1730s archive record describes a translation into Multani (Saraiki) for Empress Anna Ioannovna. The earliest dated printed evidence is the 1819 Multani New Testament; printed and handwritten styles are attested across 1819–1916.

In the early 19th century, Baptist Missionary Press made metal type—cast metal pieces used to print letters—for Christian literature in Multani. In the latter half of the 19th century, British administration in Sindh promoted Arabic script, and Multani use declined; records continue into the 20th century. In the first quarter of the 20th century, the written repertoire was reduced.

Why does 𑊁 look different across fonts?

Printed and handwritten traditions preserve different shapes.

Multani has no single standard form: its representative shapes draw on printed examples and handwriting. Fonts can therefore draw 𑊁 differently while encoding the same letter.

A blank square means the active font has no Multani glyph. A font with Multani coverage can display it.