Multani Letter Sa

It represents the s sound and the sh sound.

Multani was used to write Seraiki, a language spoken in the Multan region and northern Sindh. Historical references use 𑊥 for the s sound in “sun” and the sh sound in “ship”; they also suggest a tongue-curled s sound, but that value is less certain. Multani usually leaves vowels unwritten, so surrounding letters help show the syllable. Consonant clusters are written as separate letters.

Multani developed from the Landa writing tradition in the Multan region in the 18th century. Printed and handwritten examples are documented from 1819–1919.

Why was Multani used?

It began as practical writing for trade and daily records.

In the early 19th century, the Baptist Mission Press made metal type for Multani and extended its use to Christian books. The first book printed in the script was a New Testament in 1819.

In the latter half of the 19th century, British administration promoted Arabic script as the standard for Sindh's languages, contributing to Multani's decline. Seraiki later came to be written in an extended Arabic script. Multani belongs to the Landa script family, which also includes Gurmukhi, Khojki, and Khudawadi.

Why does 𑊥 look different across fonts?

Different outlines can be valid forms of the same letter.

Historical printed and handwritten examples show different shapes because Multani had no single standard form. A font may draw 𑊥 differently from another; that alone does not mean the character changed. An empty box means the active font or app lacks a glyph for it.