Newa Letter Ii

It writes the long “ee” vowel at the start of a syllable. In Newar spelling, a syllable that begins with a consonant uses 𑐷 for the same vowel; that dependent sign attaches to the consonant.

The Newa script grew from the Brahmi family of South Asian scripts through the northern Gupta branch. It is historically connected to Bengali, Odia, and Tirhuta scripts; Devanagari also influenced its forms. It was used for Nepal Bhasa (also called Newar), Sanskrit, and records such as inscriptions, coins, manuscripts, and books. A Newa-script manuscript of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra dated 908 CE is the earliest recorded example cited.

Newa writing styles changed over time: Bhujinmol developed from the pācumola model around 1042 CE, and Ranjana appeared in Nepal in 1099 CE. After 1769, use declined; Newa writing was banned from 1905 to 1951. As of 2026, preservation and digitization continue, while Nepal Bhasa is mostly written in Devanagari.

Why is 𑐃 different from 𑐂 and 𑐷?

𑐃 is independent; 𑐂 is shorter, and 𑐷 is dependent. Independent letters can begin a syllable without a consonant; dependent signs attach to consonant-led syllables.

The two long-vowel forms, 𑐃 and 𑐷, differ by position, while 𑐂 is Newa’s independent shorter-vowel counterpart.