Vai syllable ta

It is a Vai syllable sign for a sound close to “ta.” Vai is normally written as a continuous string, without spaces between words, so ꕚ gets its meaning as part of a word.

The Vai script emerged around 1833 in Liberia among Vai speakers; Mọmọlu Duwalu Bukẹlẹ is often credited as its main inventor. Early accounts say the script was developed so Vai speakers could write letters like literate neighbors. The Book of Ndole, composed before 1849, is among the earliest substantial surviving Vai texts.

Early accounts connect the “Vai book” with religious prestige and parity with literate Muslim and coastal neighbors. Early forms included logogram-like signs—marks for whole words or ideas—alongside syllable signs. Later standardization shaped the script into a phonetic syllabary, a writing system whose signs represent syllables, and supported practical writing and cultural autonomy. Arabic and Latin writing were present in the contact setting, but that alone does not show direct borrowing. A proposed direct model from Cherokee writing remains conjectural.

How do I type ꕚ?

In a Vai transliteration layout, type t then a. That documented sequence produces ꕚ; other layouts may use different keys.

A box or question mark usually means the receiving font cannot draw Vai. Input and display support are separate, so the character can still be present in the text.