Psalter Pahlavi Number Three

It is the Psalter Pahlavi numeral for three. Read 𐮫 as a number sign, not a letter. Psalter Pahlavi uses dedicated numerals and combines them to write larger values.

A 2011 Unicode proposal records the standalone value 3 on a bronze cross found at Herat, as well as compound numbers in the Pahlavi Psalter.

Where did the sign come from?

The surviving record links it to Middle Persian Christian writing. The Pahlavi Psalter is a fragment of the Psalms, translated from Syriac (a historical language) into Middle Persian (an older Iranian language). It was found near Turfan; the surviving manuscript was probably written in the sixth or seventh century.

A scholarly argument dates the translated text as early as the fourth century, earlier than the surviving copy. Psalter Pahlavi is a variety of Pahlavi script derived from Aramaic writing; the Avestan script later borrowed several forms from it for different signs.

How do I type 𐮫 correctly?

Use Unicode hexadecimal input with a compatible font. In an app with Unicode hex entry, enter 10BAB, the code point's hexadecimal digits; the command depends on the app.

Psalter Pahlavi runs right to left, and its numerals can join letters or other numerals. In a compound, 𐮫 can take a shorter joining form instead of its long standalone leg; that outline change does not change its value.