Phags-pa Letter Ca

ꡄ is a consonant letter in the Phags-pa script, not a complete word or chat reaction. Later in Tibet, Phags-pa seal lettering inspired hor-yig, a decorative style whose name means “Mongolian writing.”

Text symbol

What ꡄ means

It marks a consonant in Phags-pa writing. Phags-pa follows the Tibetan model; ꡄ is linked to the Tibetan letter ca, ཅ.

Tibetan lama Phags-pa devised the script at Khubilai Khan’s request. An imperial edict established it in 1269 as the Mongol empire’s national script. Its letters followed Tibetan models; its vertical columns followed Mongolian writing.

Phags-pa wrote mainly Mongolian and Chinese, including edicts, passes, coins, seals, and monuments. After 1368, it left those languages but continued on Tibetan seals. By the late sixteenth century, hor-yig (“Mongolian writing” in Tibetan) had developed from seal forms imitating Chinese seal script. Regular, seal, and Tibetan decorative styles give its letters different shapes. Hor-yig also appeared on book covers, temple inscriptions, and in calligraphy.

Historical, linguistic, or decorative; unusual in casual chat.

Without Phags-pa context, a lone ꡄ can look accidental.

Part of the collection

𑪞

Soyombo, Phags-pa, Zanabazar Square & Marchen Scripts

Who writes ꡄ

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Questions people ask

Why does ꡄ show as a box on some devices?

Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.