Syriac Letter He

It writes the plain h sound in Syriac.

Syriac developed from Aramaic writing around Edessa. Its early forms are compared with northern Mesopotamian Aramaic and writing linked to Palmyra, so the route is not pinned to one clear model. The Birecik stone is often identified as the earliest distinct Syriac inscription and dated to 6 CE, though that date is disputed; the Serrin inscription is securely dated to 73 CE.

Early Syriac had formal book hands and a faster cursive hand, used in practical records such as a Dura Europos bill of sale from 243 CE. As Christianity spread, Syriac became a literary language for theology, worship, history, philosophy, and science. By the end of the 8th century it had reached China and Tibet; it was also adapted to write Arabic, a practice called Garshuni. Serto developed from the older cursive, with manuscript evidence from the 8th century.

Why does ܗ look different in another font?

It is one letter drawn in different Syriac styles.

Estrangela, Serto, and East Syriac are writing traditions, not separate letters or meanings. The form of ܗ varies notably between Estrangela and Serto; early manuscripts can even mix these styles on a page or within a word. A rounded or angular outline does not mean the encoded letter changed.

Under Unicode 17.0.0's Syriac shaping rules, ܗ normally joins to a letter on its right; Christian Palestinian Aramaic is an exception that allows joining on both sides. Fonts choose a contextual form from neighboring letters while the encoded character remains ܗ. If a word joins oddly, check the font and script setting before suspecting a different letter.