Vai syllable la

It represents the Vai syllable la. The Vai syllabary is a writing system in which each character usually represents a spoken syllable. Read ꕞ as writing or a script sample; outside a Vai-reading context, it does not give a recipient a reliable reaction.

Vai accounts say the script was created so speakers could write their own language, after they saw Americans exchanging letters. The earliest surviving sample discussed by historical research is a Harvard-held manuscript documented in 1834. Vai communities in Liberia and Sierra Leone later used the script for correspondence, ledgers, and personal notes.

Across surviving examples, ꕞ keeps a syllabic value while the script's forms change. Early writing varies; later standardization settled modern forms. Accounts of the script note possible influence from Arabic, Latin, and Cherokee writing. Some older Vai signs may also preserve logograms—marks that stood for whole words—behind the syllabic signs.

Why does ꕞ look wrong?

Its appearance depends on Vai font support. Fonts can draw the strokes differently, and a font without Vai coverage may show a missing-glyph box.

Koelle's 1849 report recorded this l-series character as da; later historical comparison identifies that as an earlier reading of the character now read as la. It is a difference in the report, not a second modern character.

How do I type ꕞ?

Use a Unicode Vai keyboard layout for repeated typing. The key sequence depends on the layout. A font determines how the character appears but does not assign keys to it.