Phags-pa Letter Ja

ꡆ is the letter ja in the Phags-pa script. Phags-pa is a historical writing system used for Mongolian, Chinese, Uyghur, Tibetan, and Sanskrit. Reference tables label this letter “ja”; its precise sound depends on the language being written.

Phags-pa letters link into syllabic units, often along a vertical stem. So ꡆ’s neighbors, and the language they spell, determine how to read it.

When did the Phags-pa script begin?

Kublai Khan promulgated Phags-pa by imperial edict in 1269. He commissioned the Tibetan Buddhist teacher known as Phags-pa to create a script for administration across the empire’s languages. It drew on Tibetan writing and used top-to-bottom columns and linked syllables in a pattern influenced by Mongolian practice.

The Yuan court used the script in documents, seals, passes, coins, banknotes, and manuscripts, alongside Mongolian script. After the Yuan fell in 1368, Chinese and Mongolian use ended; limited Tibetan use continued.

Why does Phags-pa appear on seals?

Phags-pa had a dedicated seal style. Its regular form served for texts; its ornate seal form borrowed the look of Chinese seal writing and appeared on seals and sometimes on titles carved on stone monuments. By the late sixteenth century, a Tibetan-style branch called hor-yig (“Mongolian writing” in Tibetan) had developed from it. As of 2026, Phags-pa’s continuing use is mainly decorative, on seals, book titles, temple architecture, and as a calligraphic model.