Sunuwar letter Aal

Aal marks long “a” in some Sunuwar spellings.

Sunuwar is the script used to write Kiranti-Kõits, a language spoken in Nepal and Sikkim. As of 2026, published examples show two conventions: Nepal’s Hamso may use 𑯖 for a shorter a-like vowel and add a colon for length; the Sikkim Herald uses 𑯖 for long “a” and commonly uses 𑯈 for the default short vowel after a consonant.

When was Aal added to the script?

Aal joined the script long after its 1942 creation.

Krishna Bahadur Jentich developed the modern Sunuwar script in 1942 to write Kiranti-Kõits. The original set had 22 letters. The language was primarily oral, and many speakers also wrote it in Devanagari, a script used across South Asia; Sunuwar provided a distinct written medium for teaching and print. Around the turn of the 21st century, users added Aal, borrowing its letterform from Limbu to mark long “a.” This letter-level borrowing does not mean the Sunuwar script as a whole derives from Limbu.

How do I type 𑯖?

Use a Unicode-aware input method or character map; steps vary by device.

When no Sunuwar keyboard is available, use a character-map app or Unicode code-point entry if your device provides it. The active font must include Sunuwar: a box means the font cannot draw this letter, though the text still contains 𑯖.