Vai Syllable Tho

It represents one Vai syllable, labeled “tho” in Latin letters.

In a Vai word, ꗌ contributes one syllable; the word's meaning comes from the syllables together. Sent alone, it gives you a syllable fragment, not enough context to interpret a whole message.

Historical accounts place the Vai script's emergence in Liberia around 1832–1833. It gave Vai speakers a way to write to one another in their own language and was used for records, trade, messengers, and teaching. A study compares manuscripts from 1834–2005; a manuscript in Harvard University's collection, from about 1845, may be the oldest surviving example. Handwritten forms changed as people copied them, and European printings sometimes altered them enough to confuse later Vai readers. Arabic and Latin literacy were part of the wider writing context. A proposed Cherokee connection has been debated, but it does not establish that one script descended from the other.

How do I type ꗌ?

Use a Vai input method.

In MediaWiki's Vai input method, a way to enter Vai using Latin letters, type th and then o to produce ꗌ.

The SIL Vai package includes Windows keyboard definitions; select a Vai layout to enter the character. A font controls how it displays, while an input layout maps keystrokes to characters.

Why does ꗌ look like a box?

The likely cause is missing Vai font coverage.

ꗌ is text drawn by your font. If the selected font does not support Vai, the app may show a box or fallback symbol; the character itself has not changed. Choose a font with Vai coverage on that device.