Vithkuqi small letter GA

It is the small GA letter of Vithkuqi, used for Albanian g. Vithkuqi is a left-to-right alphabet developed by Albanian scholar Naum P. Veqilharxhi.

The earliest known printed use is Veqilharxhi’s short Albanian primer, published in 1844. The script also appears under the spellings Beitha Kukju and Büthakukye, forms of the name Vithkuqi.

Why did Veqilharxhi create Vithkuqi?

He wanted Albanian learners to share a script across religious communities.

Albanian was written with Latin, Greek, and Arabic scripts in different communities, and script choice could carry religious associations. Veqilharxhi’s distinct letter forms were meant to help Albanian education avoid choosing among them, as part of a wider effort to strengthen Albanian language and shared identity.

Albanian later standardized on a Latin-based alphabet, leaving Vithkuqi as a historical script. The Unicode Standard’s Unicode 17.0 edition notes a revival in artistic and cultural uses, including tattoos.

Is GA the same as Albanian gj?

No. GA is the Albanian g letter; gj represents a different sound.

In Vithkuqi spellings from the 19th century, GA followed by IJE could represent gj. A separate Vithkuqi GJA letter represents that sound, distinct from GA.