Ka is the first consonant of the Indic abugidas. In modern Indic scripts, ka is derived from the Brāhmī letter ka, which is (according to the Semitic hypothesis) derived from the Aramaic ("K").

Ka
Ka
Example glyphs
Bengali–AssameseKa
TibetanKa
TamilKa
Thai
Malayalam
Sinhala
Ashoka BrahmiKa
DevanagariKa
Cognates
Hebrewכ ,ך
GreekΚ
LatinK
CyrillicК
Properties
Phonemic representation/k/
IAST transliterationka Ka
ISCII code pointB3 (179)

Mathematics edit

Āryabhaṭa numeration edit

Aryabhata used Devanāgarī letters for numbers, very similar to the Greek numerals, even after the invention of Indian numerals. The values of the different forms of क are:[1]

  • [kə] = 1 (१)
  • कि [kɪ] = 100 (१००)
  • कु [kʊ] = 10,000 (१० ०००)
  • कृ [kri] = 1,000,000 (१० ०० ०००)
  • कॢ [klə] = 1×108 (१०)
  • के [ke] = 1×1010 (१०१०)
  • कै [kɛː] = 1×1012 (१०१२)
  • को [koː] = 1×1014 (१०१४)
  • कौ [kɔː] = 1×1016 (१०१६)

Tabla Strokes edit

In Tabla notation, क (ka) also seen as कि (ki), or के (ke) is a flat, nonresonant stroke of the left hand. The heel of the hand is left on the drum, while the hand rotates to hit the drum, with the focus of the force being focused between the tips and first joints of the fingers.

Hindu astrology edit

के (ke) is the abbreviation used for केतु (Ketu), the descending lunar node. In Hindu astrology, Ketu represents karmic collections both good and bad, spirituality, and supernatural influences. Ketu is associated with the Matsya Avatar (Fish Incarnation) of Vishnu. Ketu signifies the spiritual process of the refinement of materialization to spirit and is considered both malefic and benefic, as it causes sorrow and loss, and yet at the same time turns the individual to God. In other words, it causes material loss in order to force a more spiritual outlook in the person. Ketu is a karaka or indicator of intelligence, wisdom, non-attachment, fantasy, penetrating insight, derangement, and psychic abilities. Ketu is believed to bring prosperity to the devotee's family, removes the effects of snakebite and illness arising out of poisons. He grants good health, wealth and cattle to his devotees.

Historic Ka edit

There are three different general early historic scripts - Brāhmī and its variants, Kharoṣṭhī, and Tocharian, the so-called slanting Brahmi. Ka as found in standard Brahmi,   was based on a simple "+" shape, with slight variations toward the Gupta  . The Tocharian Ka   had an alternate Fremdzeichen form,  . The third form of Ka, in Kharoṣṭhī (𐨐) was probably derived from Aramaic separately from the Brahmi letter.

Brahmi Ka edit

The Brahmi letter  , ka, is probably derived from the Aramaic Kaph , and is thus related to the modern Latin K and Greek Kappa. Several identifiable styles of writing the Brahmi Ka can be found, most associated with a specific set of inscriptions from an artifact or diverse records from an historic period.[2] As the earliest and most geometric style of Brahmi, the letters found on the Edicts of Ashoka and other records from around that time are normally the reference form for Brahmi letters, with vowel marks not attested until later forms of Brahmi back-formed to match the geometric writing style.

Brahmi Ka historic forms
Ashoka
(3rd-1st c. BCE)
Girnar
(~150 BCE)
Kushana
(~150-250 CE)
Gujarat
(~250 CE)
Gupta
(~350 CE)
         
Ashoka Brahmi Ka with vowel marks
K Ka Ki Ku Kr Kr̄ Kl Kl̄ Ke Kai Ko Kau
                             

Tocharian Ka edit

The Tocharian letter is derived from the Brahmi  , and has an alternate Fremdzeichen form used in conjuncts and as an alternate representation of Kä.

Tocharian Ka with vowel marks
Ka Ki Ku Kr Kr̄ Ke Kai Ko Kau Fremdzeichen
                         

Kharoshthi Ka edit

The Kharoshthi letter   is generally accepted as being derived from the Aramaic Kaph , and is thus related to K and Kappa, in addition to the Brahmi ka.

Devanagari Ka edit

Ka () (कवर्ण kavarn) is the first consonant of the Devanagari abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter  , after having gone through the Gupta letter  . Letters that derive from it are the Gujarati letter , and the Modi letter 𑘎.

Devanagari-using Languages edit

In all languages, क is pronounced as [kə] or [k] when appropriate.

In this example, क implements its inherent vowel, the schwa.

In this example, क deletes the inherent schwa for correct pronunciation. Certain words that have been borrowed from Persian and Arabic implement the nukta to more properly approximate the original word. It is then transliterated as a q.

क matras edit

Like other Devnagari consonants, the inherent vowel of क can be altered by the addition of vowel marks, called "matras". In addition, several other diacritics can be used to alter the base consonant or append sounds to the syllable.  

Conjuncts With क edit

 
Half form of Ka.

Devanagari exhibits conjunct ligatures, as is common in Indic scripts. In modern Devanagari texts, most conjuncts are formed by reducing the letter shape to fit tightly to the following letter, sometimes referred to as a "half form". Most Devanagari letters drop a character's vertical stem to create a half form, but due to its large tail to the right of the stem, the common half form of क has its tail reduced to attach to the following letter. Some conjunct clusters are always represented by a true ligature, instead of a shape that can be broken into constituent independent letters. Vertically stacked conjuncts are ubiquitous in older texts, while only a few are still used routinely in modern Devanagari texts. The use of ligatures and vertical conjuncts may vary across languages using the Devanagari script, with Marathi in particular preferring the use of half forms where texts in other languages would show ligatures and vertical stacks.[3]

Ligature conjuncts of क edit

True ligatures are quite rare in Indic scripts. The most common ligated conjuncts in Devanagari are in the form of a slight mutation to fit in context or as a consistent variant form appended to the adjacent characters. Those variants include Na and the Repha and Rakar forms of Ra. Nepali and Marathi texts use the "eyelash" Ra half form   for an initial "R" instead of repha.

  • Repha र্ (r) + क (ka) gives the ligature rka: note

 

  • Eyelash र্ (r) + क (ka) gives the ligature rka:

 

  • क্ (k) + rakar र (ra) gives the ligature kra:

 

  • ङ্ (ŋ) + क্ (k) + rakar र (ra) gives the ligature ŋkra:

 

  • क্ (k) + न (na) gives the ligature kna:

 

  • क্ (k) + त (ta) gives the ligature kta:

 

  • क্ (k) + त্ (t) + rakar र (ra) gives the ligature ktra:

 

  • क্ (k) + त্ (t) + व (va) gives the ligature ktva:

 

  • ङ্ (ŋ) + क্ (k) + त (ta) gives the ligature ŋkta:

 

Devanagari Kṣa edit

 
Kṣa half form

One of the most common true ligatures in Devanagari is the conjunct kṣa क्ष. This ligature is a required form for most Devanagari languages, and the conjunct even has its own half form that freely joins other letters in horizontal conjuncts.

  • क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature kṣa:

 

  • Repha र্ (r) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature rkṣa:

 

  • Eyelash र্ (r) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature rkṣa:

 

  • छ্ (cʰ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature cʰkṣa:

 

  • ढ্ (ḍʱ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature ḍʱkṣa:

 

  • ड্ (ḍ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature ḍkṣa:

 

  • द্ (d) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature dkṣa:

 

  • ङ্ (ŋ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature ŋkṣa:

 

  • ङ্ (ŋ) + क্ (k) + ष্ (ṣ) + य (ya) gives the ligature ŋkṣya:

 

  • ट্ (ṭ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature ṭkṣa:

 

  • ठ্ (ṭʰ) + क্ (k) + ष (ṣa) gives the ligature ṭʰkṣa:

 

Stacked conjuncts of क edit

Vertically stacked ligatures are the most common conjunct forms found in Devanagari text. Although the constituent characters may need to be stretched and moved slightly in order to stack neatly, stacked conjuncts can be broken down into recognizable base letters, or a letter and an otherwise standard ligature.

  • ब্ (b) + क (ka) gives the ligature bka:

 

  • छ্ (cʰ) + क (ka) gives the ligature cʰka:

 

  • च্ (c) + क (ka) gives the ligature cka:

 

  • ढ্ (ḍʱ) + क (ka) gives the ligature ḍʱka:

 

  • ड্ (ḍ) + क (ka) gives the ligature ḍka:

 

  • द্ (d) + क (ka) gives the ligature dka:

 

  • ह্ (h) + क (ka) gives the ligature hka:

 

  • क্ (k) + ब (ba) gives the ligature kba:

 

  • क্ (k) + च (ca) gives the ligature kca:

 

  • क্ (k) + ड (ḍa) gives the ligature kḍa:

 

  • ख্ (kʰ) + क (ka) gives the ligature kʰka:

 

  • क্ (k) + ज (ja) gives the ligature kja:

 

  • क্ (k) + ज্ (j) + ञ (ña) gives the ligature kjña:

 

  • क্ (k) + क (ka) gives the ligature kka:

 

  • क্ (k) + ल (la) gives the ligature kla:

 

  • क্ (k) + ङ (ŋa) gives the ligature kŋa:

 

  • क্ (k) + ञ (ña) gives the ligature kña:

 

  • क্ (k) + व (va) gives the ligature kva:

 

  • ळ্ (ḷ) + क (ka) gives the ligature ḷka:

 

  • ङ্ (ŋ) + क (ka) gives the ligature ŋka:

 

  • फ্ (pʰ) + क (ka) gives the ligature pʰka:

 

  • ठ্ (ṭʰ) + क (ka) gives the ligature ṭʰka:

 

  • ट্ (ṭ) + क (ka) gives the ligature ṭka:

 

  • व্ (v) + क (ka) gives the ligature vka:

 

Bengali-Assamese Ka edit

The Bengali-Assamese script ক is derived from the Siddhaṃ  , and is marked by a similar horizontal head line, but less geometric shape, than its Devanagari counterpart, क. The inherent vowel of Bengali consonant letters is /ɔ/, so the bare letter ক will sometimes be transliterated as "ko" instead of "ka". Adding okar, the "o" vowel mark, কো, gives a reading of /ko/. Like all Indic consonants, ক can be modified by marks to indicate another (or no) vowel than its inherent "a".  

ক in Bengali-using languages edit

ক is used as a basic consonant character in all of the major Bengali script orthographies, including Bengali and Assamese. It is also used with a nukta, ক়, for foreign borrowings of /q/.

Conjuncts with ক edit

Bengali ক exhibits conjunct ligatures, as is common in Indic scripts, with a tendency towards stacked ligatures.[4]

Conjuncts in Kssa ক্ষ edit

The most important conjunct of ক is the irregular kṣa ligature ক্ + ষ [ṣ] = ক্ষ. This conjunct not only has a special form in all Bengali alphabets, it even functions as an independent letter in the Assamese orthography.   This ক্ষ conjunct forms regular conjuncts with other letters, keeping its distinct form:

  • ক্ষ (kṣ) + ম (ma) gives the ligature kṣma:

 

  • ক্ষ (kṣ) + ম্ (m) + য (ya) gives the ligature kṣmya, with the ya phala suffix:

 

  • ক্ষ (kṣ) + ন (na) gives the ligature kṣna:

 

  • ক্ষ (kṣ) + ব (va) gives the ligature kṣva, with the va phala suffix:

 

  • ক্ষ (kṣ) + য (ya) gives the ligature kṣya, with the ya phala suffix:

 

Other conjuncts of ক edit

  • ক্ (k) + র (ra) gives the ligature kra, with a variant ligature instead of a ra phala suffix:

 

  • ঙ (ng) + ক্ (k) + র (ra) gives the conjunct ngkra, with a variant of the kra ligature:

 

  • স্ (s) + ক্ (k) + র (ra) gives the conjunct skra, with the kra ligature:

 

  • ষ্ () + ক্ (k) + র (ra) gives the conjunct ṣkra, with the kra ligature:

 

  • ক্ (k) + ক (ka) gives the ligature kka:

 

  • ক্ (k) + ল (la) gives the ligature kla:

 

  • ক্ (k) + ম (ma) gives the ligature kma:

 

  • ক্ (k) + স (sa) gives the ligature ksa:

 

  • ক্ (k) + ত (ta) gives the ligature kta:

 

  • ক্ (k) + ত্ (t) + র (ra) gives the ligature ktra, with the ra phala suffix:

 

  • ক্ (k) + ট (ṭa) gives the ligature kṭa:

 

  • ক্ (k) + ট্ () + র (ra) gives the ligature kṭra, with the ra phala suffix:

 

  • ক্ (k) + ব (va) gives the ligature kva, with the va phala suffix:

 

  • ক্ (k) + য (ya) gives the ligature kya, with the ya phala suffix:

 

  • ল্ (l) + ক (ka) gives the ligature lka:

 

  • ল্ (l) + ক্ (k) + য (ya) gives the ligature lkya, with the ya phala suffix:

 

  • ঙ (ng) + ক (ka) gives the ligature ngka:

 

  • ঙ (ng) + ক্ (k) + শ (ʃa) gives the ligature ngkʃa:

 

  • ঙ (ng) + ক্ (k) + য (ya) gives the ligature ngkya, with the ya phala suffix:

 

  • র্ (r) + ক (ka) gives the ligature rka, with the repha prefix:

 

  • র্ (r) + ক্ (k) + য (ya) gives the ligature rkya, with the repha prefix and ya phala suffix:

 

  • স্ (s) + ক (ka) gives the ligature ska:

 

  • ষ্ () + ক (ka) gives the ligature ṣka:

 

  • ত্ (t) + ক (ka) gives the ligature tka:

 

Gujarati Ka edit

 
Gujarati Ka.

Ka () is the first consonant of the Gujarati abugida. It is derived from the Devanagari Ka  , and ultimately the Brahmi letter  . ક (Ka) is similar in appearance to ફ (Pha), and care should be taken to avoid confusing the two when reading Gujarati script texts.

Gujarati-using Languages edit

The Gujarati script is used to write the Gujarati and Kutchi languages. In both languages, ક is pronounced as [kə] or [k] when appropriate. Like all Indic scripts, Gujarati uses vowel marks attached to the base consonant to override the inherent /ə/ vowel:

Ka Ki Ku Kr Kl Kr̄ Kl̄ Ke Kai Ko Kau K
 
Gujarati Ka syllables, with vowel marks in red.

Conjuncts with ક edit

Gujarati ક exhibits conjunct ligatures, much like its parent Devanagari Script. While most Gujarati conjuncts can only be formed by reducing the letter shape to create a "half form" that fits tightly to following letter, Ka does not have a half form. A few conjunct clusters can be represented by a true ligature, instead of a shape that can be broken into constituent independent letters, and vertically stacked conjuncts can also be found in Gujarati, although much less commonly than in Devanagari. Lacking a half form, Ka will normally use an explicit virama when forming conjuncts without a true ligature. True ligatures are quite rare in Indic scripts. The most common ligated conjuncts in Gujarati are in the form of a slight mutation to fit in context or as a consistent variant form appended to the adjacent characters. Those variants include Na and the Repha and Rakar forms of Ra.

  • ક્ (k) + ર (ra) gives the ligature KRa:

 

  • ર્ (r) + ક (ka) gives the ligature RKa:

 

  • ઙ્ (ŋ) + ક (ka) gives the ligature ṄKa:

 

  • ક્ (k) + ષ (ʂa) gives the ligature KṢa:

 

  • ર્ (r) + ક (ka) ષ (ʂa) gives the ligature RKṢa:

 

  • ઙ્ (ŋ) + ક (ka) ષ (ʂa) gives the ligature ṄKṢa:

 

Javanese Ka edit

Telugu Ka edit

Telugu independent and subjoined Ka.

Ka () is the first consonant of the Telugu abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter  . It is closely related to the Kannada letter . Most Telugu consonants contain a wedge-shaped headline that is related to the horizontal headline found in other Indic scripts, although headlines do not connect adjacent letters in Telugu.

Telugu independent and subjoined KṢa.

Telugu conjuncts are created by reducing trailing letters to a subjoined form that appears below the initial consonant of the conjunct. Many subjoined forms are created by dropping their headline, with many extending the end of the stroke of the main letter body to form an extended tail reaching up to the right of the preceding consonant. This subjoining of trailing letters to create conjuncts is in contrast to the leading half forms of Devanagari and Bengali letters. Ligature conjuncts are not a feature in Telugu, with the only non-standard construction being an alternate subjoined form of Ṣa (borrowed from Kannada) in the KṢa conjunct.

Malayalam Ka edit

 
Malayalam letter Ka

Ka () is a consonant of the Malayalam abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter  , via the Grantha letter   Ka. Like in other Indic scripts, Malayalam consonants have the inherent vowel "a", and take one of several modifying vowel signs to represent syllables with another vowel or no vowel at all.

 
Malayalam Ka matras: Ka, Kā, Ki, Kī, Ku, Kū, Kr̥, Kr̥̄, Kl̥, Kl̥̄, Ke, Kē, Kai, Ko, Kō, Kau, and K.

Conjuncts of ക edit

 
Malayalam letter Chillu K

As is common in Indic scripts, Malayalam joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters. There are several means of forming conjuncts in Malayalam: using a subjoined form of a trailing consonant placed under the initial consonant of a conjunct, a combined ligature of the two consonants joined together, a conjoining form that appears as a combining mark on the rest of the conjunct, the use of an explicit candrakkala mark to suppress the inherent "a" vowel, or a special consonant form called a "chillu" letter, representing a bare consonant without the inherent "a" vowel. Texts written with the modern reformed Malayalam orthography, put̪iya lipi, may favor more regular conjunct forms than older texts in paḻaya lipi, due to changes undertaken in the 1970s by the Government of Kerala.

  • ല് (l) + ക (ka) gives the ligature lka:

 

  • യ് (y) + ക (ka) gives the ligature yka:

 

  • ങ് (ŋ) + ക (ka) gives the ligature ŋka:

 

  • ക് (k) + ക (ka) gives the ligature kka:

 

  • ഴ് (lll) + ക (ka) gives the ligature lllka:

 

  • ക് (k) + ട (ṭa) gives the ligature kṭa:

 

  • ക് (k) + ണ (ṇa) gives the ligature kṇa:

 

  • ക് (k) + ത (ta) gives the ligature kta:

 

  • ക് (k) + ന (na) gives the ligature kna:

 

  • ക് (k) + മ (ma) gives the ligature kma:

 

  • ക് (k) + ര (ra) gives the ligature kra:

 

  • ക് (k) + സ (sa) gives the ligature ksa:

 

  • ക് (k) + ഷ (ṣa) gives the ligature kṣa:

 

  • ക് (k) + ഷ് (ṣ) + ണ (ṇa) gives the ligature kṣṇa:

 

  • ക് (k) + ഷ് (ṣ) + മ (ma) gives the ligature kṣma:

 

  • ക് (k) + ഷ് (ṣ) + ല (la) gives the ligature kṣla:

 

Odia Ka edit

Odia independent and subjoined letter Ka.

Ka () is a consonant of the Odia abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter  , via the Siddhaṃ letter   Ka. Like in other Indic scripts, Odia consonants have the inherent vowel "a", and take one of several modifying vowel signs to represent syllables with another vowel or no vowel at all.

Odia Ka with vowel matras
Ka Ki Ku Kr̥ Kr̥̄ Kl̥ Kl̥̄ Ke Kai Ko Kau K
କା କି କୀ କୁ କୂ କୃ କୄ କୢ କୣ କେ କୈ କୋ କୌ କ୍

Conjuncts of କ edit

As is common in Indic scripts, Odia joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters. The most common conjunct formation is achieved by using a small subjoined form of trailing consonants. Most consonants' subjoined forms are identical to the full form, just reduced in size, although a few drop the curved headline or have a subjoined form not directly related to the full form of the consonant. The second type of conjunct formation is through pure ligatures, where the constituent consonants are written together in a single graphic form. This ligature may be recognizable as being a combination of two characters or it can have a conjunct ligature unrelated to its constituent characters.

  • ଙ୍ (ŋ) + କ (ka) gives the ligature ŋka:

 

  • ତ୍ (t) + କ (ka) gives the ligature tka:

 

  • ର୍ (r) + କ (ka) gives the ligature rka:

 

  • କ୍ (k) + ର (ra) gives the ligature kra:

 

Odia Kṣa କ୍ଷ edit

Odia independent and subjoined KSsa.

Although ostensibly a conjunct of Ka and Ssa, Odia କ୍ଷ (Kṣa) is largely treated as an independent letter pronounced /kʰjɔ/. Unlike other Odia conjuncts, କ୍ଷ can be found as an independent letter subjoined to another letter or conjunct.

  • ତ୍ (t) + କ୍ (ka) + ଷ (ṣa) gives the ligature tkṣa:

 

Meitei Mayek Kok edit

Meitei regular and lonsum forms of Kok.

The Meitei letter Kok (Manipuri: head) has the phonetic value /ka/, and like in other Indic scripts, it takes vowel matras to alter its inherent vowel. Unlike in other Indic scripts, it has a special "lonsum" form for indicating a syllable coda consonant sound, while an explicit killer apun iyek, is optionally used to indicate a consonant cluster.[5]

Much like the Tibetan script from which it derives, the Meitei script, used to write the Manipuri language of far eastern India has remnants of the headline common in other Indic scripts in many of its letters, but does not connect the headlines of adjacent letters. Historically, Meitei exhibited conjoining behavior, but this is not a behavior of Meitei letters in modern usage.

Kaithi Ka edit

Kaithi consonant and half-form Ka.

Ka (𑂍) is a consonant of the Kaithi abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter  , via the Siddhaṃ letter   Ka. Like in other Indic scripts, Kaithi consonants have the inherent vowel "a", and take one of several modifying vowel signs to represent syllables with another vowel or no vowel at all.

Kaithi Ka with vowel matras
Ka Ki Ku Ke Kai Ko Kau K
𑂍 𑂍𑂰 𑂍𑂱 𑂍𑂲 𑂍𑂳 𑂍𑂴 𑂍𑂵 𑂍𑂶 𑂍𑂷 𑂍𑂸 𑂍𑂹

Conjuncts of 𑂍 edit

As is common in Indic scripts, Kaithi joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters. The most common conjunct formation is achieved by using a half form of preceding consonants, although several consonants use an explicit virama. Most half forms are derived from the full form by removing the vertical stem. As is common in most Indic scripts, conjucts of ra are indicated with a repha or rakar mark attached to the rest of the consonant cluster. In addition, there are a few vertical conjuncts that can be found in Kaithi writing, but true ligatures are not used in the modern Kaithi script.

  • 𑂍୍ (k) + 𑂩 (ra) gives the ligature kra:

 

  • 𑂩୍ (r) + 𑂍 (ka) gives the ligature rka:

 

  • 𑂍୍ (k) + 𑂍 (ka) gives the ligature kka:

 

Comparison of Ka glyphs edit

The various Indic scripts are generally related to each other through adaptation and borrowing, and as such the glyphs for cognate letters, including Ka, are related as well.

Comparison of Ka in different scripts
Aramaic
 
Kharoṣṭhī
𐨐
Ashoka Brahmi
 
Kushana Brahmi[a]
 
Tocharian[b]
  /  
Gupta Brahmi
 
Pallava
 
Kadamba
-
Bhaiksuki
𑰎
Siddhaṃ
 
Grantha
𑌕
Cham
Sinhala
Pyu /
Old Mon[c]
-
Tibetan
 
Newa
𑐎
Ahom
𑜀
Malayalam
Telugu
Burmese
က
Lepcha
Ranjana
 
Saurashtra
Dives Akuru
𑤌
Kannada
Kayah Li
Limbu
 
Soyombo[d]
𑩜
Khmer
Tamil
 
Chakma
𑄇
Tai Tham
Meitei Mayek
Gaudi
-
Thai
Lao
ກ / ໞ
Tai Le
Marchen
𑱲
Tirhuta
𑒏
New Tai Lue
Tai Viet
ꪀ / ꪁ
Aksara Kawi
 
'Phags-pa
Odia
Sharada
𑆑
Rejang
Batak
-
Buginese
Zanabazar Square
𑨋
Bengali-Assamese
 
Takri
𑚊
Javanese
Balinese
Makasar
𑻠
Hangul[e]
-
Northern Nagari
-
Dogri
𑠊
Laṇḍā
-
Sundanese
Baybayin
Modi
𑘎
Gujarati
Khojki
𑈈
Khudabadi
𑊺
Mahajani
𑅕
Tagbanwa
Devanagari
 
Nandinagari
𑦮
Kaithi
 
Gurmukhi
Multani
𑊄
Buhid
Canadian Syllabics[f]
-
Soyombo[g]
𑩜
Sylheti Nagari
Gunjala Gondi
𑵱
Masaram Gondi[h]
𑴌
Hanuno'o
Notes
  1. ^ The middle "Kushana" form of Brahmi is a later style that emerged as Brahmi scripts were beginning to proliferate. Gupta Brahmi was definitely a stylistic descendant from Kushana, but other Brahmi-derived scripts may have descended from earlier forms.
  2. ^ Tocharian is probably derived from the middle period "Kushana" form of Brahmi, although artifacts from that time are not plentiful enough to establish a definite succession.
  3. ^ Pyu and Old Mon are probably the precursors of the Burmese script, and may be derived from either the Pallava or Kadamba script
  4. ^ May also be derived from Devangari (see bottom left of table)
  5. ^ The Origin of Hangul from 'Phags-pa is one of limited influence, inspiring at most a few basic letter shapes. Hangul does not function as an Indic abugida.
  6. ^ Although the basic letter forms of the Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics were derived from handwritten Devanagari letters, this abugida indicates vowel sounds by rotations of the letter form, rather than the use of vowel diacritics as is standard in Indic abugidas.
  7. ^ May also be derived from Ranjana (see above)
  8. ^ Masaram Gondi acts as an Indic abugida, but its letterforms were not derived from any single precursor script.


Character encodings of Ka edit

Most Indic scripts are encoded in the Unicode Standard, and as such the letter Ka in those scripts can be represented in plain text with unique codepoint. Ka from several modern-use scripts can also be found in legacy encodings, such as ISCII.

Character information
Preview      
Unicode name DEVANAGARI LETTER KA BENGALI LETTER KA TAMIL LETTER KA TELUGU LETTER KA ORIYA LETTER KA KANNADA LETTER KA MALAYALAM LETTER KA GUJARATI LETTER KA GURMUKHI LETTER KA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 2325 U+0915 2453 U+0995 2965 U+0B95 3093 U+0C15 2837 U+0B15 3221 U+0C95 3349 U+0D15 2709 U+0A95 2581 U+0A15
UTF-8 224 164 149 E0 A4 95 224 166 149 E0 A6 95 224 174 149 E0 AE 95 224 176 149 E0 B0 95 224 172 149 E0 AC 95 224 178 149 E0 B2 95 224 180 149 E0 B4 95 224 170 149 E0 AA 95 224 168 149 E0 A8 95
Numeric character reference क क ক ক க க క క କ କ ಕ ಕ ക ക ક ક ਕ ਕ
ISCII 179 B3 179 B3 179 B3 179 B3 179 B3 179 B3 179 B3 179 B3 179 B3


Character information
Preview
Ashoka 
Kushana 
Gupta 
𐨐 𑖎 𑌕
Unicode name BRAHMI LETTER KA KHAROSHTHI LETTER KA SIDDHAM LETTER KA GRANTHA LETTER KA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 69651 U+11013 68112 U+10A10 71054 U+1158E 70421 U+11315
UTF-8 240 145 128 147 F0 91 80 93 240 144 168 144 F0 90 A8 90 240 145 150 142 F0 91 96 8E 240 145 140 149 F0 91 8C 95
UTF-16 55300 56339 D804 DC13 55298 56848 D802 DE10 55301 56718 D805 DD8E 55300 57109 D804 DF15
Numeric character reference 𑀓 𑀓 𐨐 𐨐 𑖎 𑖎 𑌕 𑌕


Character information
Preview   𑨋 𑐎 𑰎 𑆑
Unicode name TIBETAN LETTER KA TIBETAN SUBJOINED LETTER KA PHAGS-PA LETTER KA ZANABAZAR SQUARE LETTER KA NEWA LETTER KA BHAIKSUKI LETTER KA SHARADA LETTER KA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 3904 U+0F40 3984 U+0F90 43072 U+A840 72203 U+11A0B 70670 U+1140E 72718 U+11C0E 70033 U+11191
UTF-8 224 189 128 E0 BD 80 224 190 144 E0 BE 90 234 161 128 EA A1 80 240 145 168 139 F0 91 A8 8B 240 145 144 142 F0 91 90 8E 240 145 176 142 F0 91 B0 8E 240 145 134 145 F0 91 86 91
UTF-16 3904 0F40 3984 0F90 43072 A840 55302 56843 D806 DE0B 55301 56334 D805 DC0E 55303 56334 D807 DC0E 55300 56721 D804 DD91
Numeric character reference ཀ ཀ ྐ ྐ ꡀ ꡀ 𑨋 𑨋 𑐎 𑐎 𑰎 𑰎 𑆑 𑆑


Character information
Preview က
Unicode name MYANMAR LETTER KA TAI THAM LETTER HIGH KA NEW TAI LUE LETTER HIGH KA NEW TAI LUE LETTER FINAL K
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 4096 U+1000 6688 U+1A20 6530 U+1982 6597 U+19C5
UTF-8 225 128 128 E1 80 80 225 168 160 E1 A8 A0 225 166 130 E1 A6 82 225 167 133 E1 A7 85
Numeric character reference က က ᨠ ᨠ ᦂ ᦂ ᧅ ᧅ


Character information
Preview
Unicode name KHMER LETTER KA LAO LETTER KO LAO LETTER KHMU GO THAI CHARACTER KO KAI TAI VIET LETTER LOW KO TAI VIET LETTER HIGH KO
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 6016 U+1780 3713 U+0E81 3806 U+0EDE 3585 U+0E01 43648 U+AA80 43649 U+AA81
UTF-8 225 158 128 E1 9E 80 224 186 129 E0 BA 81 224 187 158 E0 BB 9E 224 184 129 E0 B8 81 234 170 128 EA AA 80 234 170 129 EA AA 81
Numeric character reference ក ក ກ ກ ໞ ໞ ก ก ꪀ ꪀ ꪁ ꪁ


Character information
Preview 𑄇 𑜀 𑤌
Unicode name SINHALA LETTER ALPAPRAANA KAYANNA KAYAH LI LETTER KA CHAKMA LETTER KAA TAI LE LETTER KA AHOM LETTER KA DIVES AKURU LETTER KA SAURASHTRA LETTER KA CHAM LETTER KA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 3482 U+0D9A 43274 U+A90A 69895 U+11107 6480 U+1950 71424 U+11700 71948 U+1190C 43154 U+A892 43526 U+AA06
UTF-8 224 182 154 E0 B6 9A 234 164 138 EA A4 8A 240 145 132 135 F0 91 84 87 225 165 144 E1 A5 90 240 145 156 128 F0 91 9C 80 240 145 164 140 F0 91 A4 8C 234 162 146 EA A2 92 234 168 134 EA A8 86
UTF-16 3482 0D9A 43274 A90A 55300 56583 D804 DD07 6480 1950 55301 57088 D805 DF00 55302 56588 D806 DD0C 43154 A892 43526 AA06
Numeric character reference ක ක ꤊ ꤊ 𑄇 𑄇 ᥐ ᥐ 𑜀 𑜀 𑤌 𑤌 ꢒ ꢒ ꨆ ꨆ


Character information
Preview 𑘎 𑦮 𑩜 𑵱  
Unicode name MODI LETTER KA NANDINAGARI LETTER KA SOYOMBO LETTER KA SYLOTI NAGRI LETTER KO GUNJALA GONDI LETTER KA KAITHI LETTER KA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 71182 U+1160E 72110 U+119AE 72284 U+11A5C 43015 U+A807 73073 U+11D71 69773 U+1108D
UTF-8 240 145 152 142 F0 91 98 8E 240 145 166 174 F0 91 A6 AE 240 145 169 156 F0 91 A9 9C 234 160 135 EA A0 87 240 145 181 177 F0 91 B5 B1 240 145 130 141 F0 91 82 8D
UTF-16 55301 56846 D805 DE0E 55302 56750 D806 DDAE 55302 56924 D806 DE5C 43015 A807 55303 56689 D807 DD71 55300 56461 D804 DC8D
Numeric character reference 𑘎 𑘎 𑦮 𑦮 𑩜 𑩜 ꠇ ꠇ 𑵱 𑵱 𑂍 𑂍


Character information
Preview 𑒏   𑱲
Unicode name TIRHUTA LETTER KA LEPCHA LETTER KA LIMBU LETTER KA MEETEI MAYEK LETTER KOK MARCHEN LETTER KA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 70799 U+1148F 7168 U+1C00 6401 U+1901 43968 U+ABC0 72818 U+11C72
UTF-8 240 145 146 143 F0 91 92 8F 225 176 128 E1 B0 80 225 164 129 E1 A4 81 234 175 128 EA AF 80 240 145 177 178 F0 91 B1 B2
UTF-16 55301 56463 D805 DC8F 7168 1C00 6401 1901 43968 ABC0 55303 56434 D807 DC72
Numeric character reference 𑒏 𑒏 ᰀ ᰀ ᤁ ᤁ ꯀ ꯀ 𑱲 𑱲


Character information
Preview 𑚊 𑠊 𑈈 𑊺 𑅕 𑊄
Unicode name TAKRI LETTER KA DOGRA LETTER KA KHOJKI LETTER KA KHUDAWADI LETTER KA MAHAJANI LETTER KA MULTANI LETTER KA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 71306 U+1168A 71690 U+1180A 70152 U+11208 70330 U+112BA 69973 U+11155 70276 U+11284
UTF-8 240 145 154 138 F0 91 9A 8A 240 145 160 138 F0 91 A0 8A 240 145 136 136 F0 91 88 88 240 145 138 186 F0 91 8A BA 240 145 133 149 F0 91 85 95 240 145 138 132 F0 91 8A 84
UTF-16 55301 56970 D805 DE8A 55302 56330 D806 DC0A 55300 56840 D804 DE08 55300 57018 D804 DEBA 55300 56661 D804 DD55 55300 56964 D804 DE84
Numeric character reference 𑚊 𑚊 𑠊 𑠊 𑈈 𑈈 𑊺 𑊺 𑅕 𑅕 𑊄 𑊄


Character information
Preview 𑻠
Unicode name BALINESE LETTER KA BUGINESE LETTER KA JAVANESE LETTER KA MAKASAR LETTER KA REJANG LETTER KA SUNDANESE LETTER KA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 6931 U+1B13 6656 U+1A00 43407 U+A98F 73440 U+11EE0 43312 U+A930 7050 U+1B8A
UTF-8 225 172 147 E1 AC 93 225 168 128 E1 A8 80 234 166 143 EA A6 8F 240 145 187 160 F0 91 BB A0 234 164 176 EA A4 B0 225 174 138 E1 AE 8A
UTF-16 6931 1B13 6656 1A00 43407 A98F 55303 57056 D807 DEE0 43312 A930 7050 1B8A
Numeric character reference ᬓ ᬓ ᨀ ᨀ ꦏ ꦏ 𑻠 𑻠 ꤰ ꤰ ᮊ ᮊ


Character information
Preview 𑴌
Unicode name TAGALOG LETTER KA TAGBANWA LETTER KA BUHID LETTER KA HANUNOO LETTER KA MASARAM GONDI LETTER KA
Encodings decimal hex dec hex dec hex dec hex dec hex
Unicode 5891 U+1703 5987 U+1763 5955 U+1743 5923 U+1723 72972 U+11D0C
UTF-8 225 156 131 E1 9C 83 225 157 163 E1 9D A3 225 157 131 E1 9D 83 225 156 163 E1 9C A3 240 145 180 140 F0 91 B4 8C
UTF-16 5891 1703 5987 1763 5955 1743 5923 1723 55303 56588 D807 DD0C
Numeric character reference ᜃ ᜃ ᝣ ᝣ ᝃ ᝃ ᜣ ᜣ 𑴌 𑴌



References edit

  1. ^ Ifrah, Georges (2000). The Universal History of Numbers. From Prehistory to the Invention of the Computer. New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 447–450. ISBN 0-471-39340-1.
  2. ^ Evolutionary chart, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol 7, 1838 [1]
  3. ^ Pall, Peeter. "Microsoft Word - kblhi2" (PDF). Eesti Keele Instituudi kohanimeandmed. Eesti Keele Instituudi kohanimeandmed. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  4. ^ "The Bengali Alphabet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-28.
  5. ^ "The Unicode® Standard Version 14.0 – Core Specification; Chapter 13, South and Central Asia-II" (PDF). Unicode. Unicode Consortium. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
^note Conjuncts are identified by IAST transliteration, except aspirated consonants are indicated with a superscript "h" to distinguish from an unaspirated cononant + Ha, and the use of the IPA "ŋ" and "ʃ" instead of the less dinstinctive "ṅ" and "ś".

Further reading edit

  • Kurt Elfering: Die Mathematik des Aryabhata I. Text, Übersetzung aus dem Sanskrit und Kommentar. Wilhelm Fink Verlag, München, 1975, ISBN 3-7705-1326-6
  • Georges Ifrah: The Universal History of Numbers. From Prehistory to the Invention of the Computer. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2000, ISBN 0-471-39340-1.
  • B. L. van der Waerden: Erwachende Wissenschaft. Ägyptische, babylonische und griechische Mathematik. Birkhäuser-Verlag, Basel Stuttgart, 1966, ISBN 3-7643-0399-9
  • Fleet, J. F. (January 1911). "Aryabhata's System of Expressing Numbers". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 43: 109–126. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00040995. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25189823.
  • Fleet, J. F. (1911). "Aryabhata's System of Expressing Numbers". The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 43. Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland: 109–126. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00040995. JSTOR 25189823.