SignWriting Rotation Modifier 5

It gives a compatible base symbol a 180° turn.

SignWriting builds a symbol from a base (the main element), an optional fill, and an optional rotation. This rotation modifier 5, also called R5, supplies the last part. For handshapes, it marks the 180° position in the first, right-hand series.

A base does not necessarily allow every fill or rotation. Unicode text can carry the characters, but a complete sign needs software that handles SignWriting's two-dimensional layout. Google released Noto Sans SignWriting in 2020; the font renders the characters, while separate layout software arranges a full sign.

Why does SignWriting include orientation marks?

They let a written sign show how its parts are oriented.

SignWriting grew from DanceWriting, a notation for recording ballet movement that began in 1966. In 1974, researchers at the University of Copenhagen asked Valerie Sutton to adapt it for signs and gestures. The result records signed movement directly instead of translating it into a spoken language.

Deaf writers, researchers, publications, and software later developed and used the system. SignWriting can represent different sign languages, so 𝪤 marks orientation in a written sign rather than carrying one fixed spoken-word meaning.