Tagalog Letter U

In Baybayin, the historic Philippine script, ᜂ is a standalone vowel for U or O; the surrounding word tells you which. Sent alone, it leaves that choice open.

Text symbol

What ᜂ means

Both readings fit the letter. ᜂ stands alone at a syllable's start; ᜓ marks the same U/O vowel below a consonant.

Tagalog records show Baybayin by the mid-1500s. It was written on bamboo and leaves, including in land-sale records, and also served Bisaya, Ilocano and other languages. Manila's 1593 Doctrina Christiana, a book of Christian teaching, printed it; everyday use declined by the mid-1700s. Hanunóo, Buhid and Tagbanwa are related Philippine scripts, though they are not confirmed as direct descendants of Baybayin. The Kawi script may be a shared ancestor in a wider network of scripts derived from Brahmi, an older writing system. Baybayin's exact origin remained unsettled by 2012.

By 2019, Baybayin's revival appeared in teaching, calligraphy, tattoos, logos and chat; using the script could signal Filipino heritage.

Part of the collection

ᜊ

Baybayin & Philippine Scripts

Who writes ᜂ

Loading…

Don't confuse it with

ᜓ

Tagalog Vowel Sign U

ᜓ marks the same U/O vowel below a consonant; ᜂ stands alone.

Questions people ask

Why does ᜂ show as a box on some devices?

Not every system ships a font for the Tagalog block. Where none is installed, the character shows as an empty box; adding a font such as Noto fixes it. The character itself is still correct and copies correctly.