Newa Letter A

It writes the vowel a as a letter on its own. In Newa writing, a consonant usually carries an unwritten a; this independent letter is used when the vowel has no consonant before it. In Kathmandu Newar, it is transliterated as a and can sound like a neutral, unstressed vowel.

The dependent Newa Vowel Sign Aa, 𑐵, is a separate mark used after a consonant. Other marks can lengthen a vowel or give it a nasal sound.

Where did Newa writing come from?

It grew from Brahmi-derived traditions in the Kathmandu Valley. The Newa script took shape in the 10th century; a Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra manuscript dated 908 CE is one of its earliest records.

It appears in inscriptions, coins, religious and literary manuscripts, books, and official writing in Newar, Sanskrit, and other regional languages. Newa developed from Brahmi through northern Gupta and is related to Bengali, Odia, and Tirhuta scripts; Devanagari later influenced it.

Ranjana, another Newar script, is documented in Nepal by 1099 and often served ornate or ceremonial writing, while Prachalit was the common book hand. After the Gorkha conquest in 1769, Newa use declined. The language and script were banned in 1905; the ban ended in 1951, and revival followed.