Vithkuqi Small Letter Che

It usually stands for Albanian ç.

The Vithkuqi CH label appears in the original spelling book. In surviving nineteenth-century texts, 𐖛 usually marks the sound Albanian now writes as ç, like “ch” in “church.” Some texts also use it for xh, pronounced like the “j” in “judge,” because the alphabet had no separate letter for that sound.

Why was the Vithkuqi alphabet made?

To give Albanian speakers an alphabet not tied to one religion.

Naum Veqilharxhi developed it between 1824 and 1845. The first Vithkuqi spelling book appeared in 1844, followed by an expanded edition in 1845. The alphabet was meant to serve Muslim, Orthodox, and Catholic Albanians rather than rely on Greek, Arabic, or Latin scripts associated with those communities.

It never became the common standard: Veqilharxhi died soon after the expanded book, and the cost of making new printing type limited adoption by the mid-nineteenth century. Vithkuqi belongs to the wider history of Albanian alphabets alongside Todhri, another Albanian script. Its resemblance to cursive Armenian is visual, not evidence of descent.

What does it mean when someone sends 𐖛?

A letter sample or script reference, not a reaction.

If someone sends 𐖛 by itself, read it first as a sample of the Vithkuqi script. A single letter does not supply a word or a fixed emotional reply.

By 2020, revival work included Vithkuqi lettering for Albanian cultural use and requests for tattoo designs. In that setting, the script can point to Albanian heritage or personal identity rather than a standalone word.