Zanb_(script)
Zanabazar square script
Abugida developed by the monk and scholar Zanabazar
Zanabazar's square script is a horizontal Mongolian square script (Mongolian: Хэвтээ Дөрвөлжин бичиг, romanized: Hevtee Dörvöljin bichig or Хэвтээ Дөрвөлжин Үсэг, Hevtee Dörvöljin Üseg),[1] an abugida developed by the monk and scholar Zanabazar based on the Tibetan alphabet to write Mongolian. It can also be used to write Tibetan language and Sanskrit as a geometric typeface.[2][3]
| Zanabazar's square script 𑨢𑨆𑨏𑨳𑨋𑨆𑨬𑨳 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Script type | |
| Creator | Zanabazar |
Time period | unknown |
| Direction | Left-to-right  |
| Languages | Mongolian, Tibetan, Sanskrit |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | |
| ISO 15924 | |
| ISO 15924 | Zanb (339), Zanabazar Square (Zanabazarin Dörböljin Useg, Xewtee Dörböljin Bicig, Horizontal Square Script) |
| Unicode | |
Unicode alias | Zanabazar Square |
| |
The theorised Semitic origins of the Brahmi script are not universally agreed upon. | |
It was re-discovered in 1801 and the script's applications during its using period are not known, read left to right, and employed vowel diacritics above and below the consonant letters.[1]
Vowels
The Zanabazar Square script is an abugida. Consonant represent a syllable with an inherent vowel /a/. The vowel can be changed by adding a diacritic to the consonant. Only the vowel /a/ is written as an independent letter; other independent vowels, for example those at the start of a word which can't be attached to a consonant, are written by adding the appropriate diacritic to the letter ⟨𑨀⟩. A length mark indicates that the vowel sound is long and a candrabindu ⟨◌𑨵⟩ indicates that it is nasalised.[4] The final consonant mark ⟨◌𑨳⟩ functions as a virama, or "killer stroke" that removes the inherent vowel, leaving an isolated consonant. When transcribing Sanskrit or Tibetan, a different virama, ⟨◌ 𑨴⟩ is used. Two additional diacritics are used for Sanskrit transcription, the anusvara ⟨◌𑨸⟩, which adds nasalisation and the visarga ⟨◌𑨹⟩, which adds aspiration.
| diacritics | ◌ 𑨁 i
|
◌ 𑨂 ue
|
◌ 𑨃 u
|
◌ 𑨄 e
|
◌ 𑨅 oe
|
◌𑨆 o
|
◌𑨇 ai or i
|
◌𑨈 au or u
|
◌𑨉 i
|
◌𑨊 -
|
◌𑨵
|
◌𑨳 -
|
◌ 𑨴 -
|
◌𑨸 ṃ
|
◌𑨹 ḥ
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| independent vowels | 𑨀 a
|
𑨀𑨁 i
|
𑨀𑨂 ue
|
𑨀𑨃 u
|
𑨀𑨄 e
|
𑨀𑨅 oe
|
𑨀𑨆 o
|
𑨀𑨇 ai or i
|
𑨀𑨈 au or u
|
𑨀𑨉 i
|
𑨀𑨊 ā
|
𑨀𑨵 ã
|
𑨀𑨸 aṃ
|
𑨀𑨹 aḥ
| ||
| consonant ⟨𑨋⟩ + diacritic | 𑨋 ka
|
𑨋𑨁 ki
|
𑨋𑨂 kue
|
𑨋𑨃 ku
|
𑨋𑨄 ke
|
𑨋𑨅 koe
|
𑨋𑨆 ko
|
𑨋𑨇 kai
or ki |
𑨋𑨈 kau
or ku |
𑨋𑨉 ki
|
𑨋𑨊 k
|
𑨋𑨵 kã
|
𑨋𑨳 k
|
𑨋𑨴 k
|
𑨋𑨸 kaṃ
|
𑨋𑨹 kaḥ
|
Consonants
The Zanabazar script includes twenty basic consonants used for writing Mongolian, and twenty additional consonants that are used for transcribing Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, and other languages.[4]
𑨍 ga
|
𑨋 ka
|
𑨏 nga
|
𑨒 ja
|
𑨐 ca
|
𑨓 nya
|
𑨛 da
|
𑨚 tha
|
𑨝 na
|
𑨠 ba
|
𑨞 pa
|
𑨢 ma
|
𑨪 ya
|
𑨫 ra
|
𑨭 va
|
𑨬 la
|
𑨮 sha
|
𑨰 sa
|
𑨱 ha
|
𑨲 kssa
|
- Sometimes substituted for non-initial va.
𑨌 kha
|
𑨎 gha
|
𑨑 cha
|
𑨔 tta
|
𑨕 ttha
|
𑨖 dda
|
𑨗 ddha
|
𑨘 nna
|
𑨙 ta
|
𑨜 dha
|
𑨟 pha
|
𑨡 bha
|
𑨣 tsa
|
𑨤 tsha
|
𑨥 dza
|
𑨦 dzha
|
𑨧 zha
|
𑨨 za
|
𑨩 -a
|
𑨯 ssa
|
Tibetan consonant clusters
The following diacritics are used for transcribing Tibetan consonant clusters.
| diacritic | 𑨺 r-
|
◌𑨻 -ya
|
◌𑨼 -ra
|
◌𑨽 -la
|
◌𑨾 -va
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| consonant ⟨𑨋⟩ + diacritic | 𑨺𑨋 rka
|
𑨋𑨻 kya
|
𑨋𑨼 kra
|
𑨋𑨽 kla
|
𑨋𑨾 kva
|
Other characters
Head marks are similar to Tibetan yig mgo, and may be used to mark the beginning of a text, page, or section. They may be decorated with a candra, ⟨◌ 𑨶⟩ or ⟨◌ 𑨶⟩
𑨿𑩀 𑨿 𑨶𑩀 𑨿 𑨷𑩀 single-line
|
𑩅𑩆 double-line
|
𑩁 tsheg
|
𑩂 shad
|
𑩃 double shad
|
𑩄 long tsheg
|
"Zanabazar Square" has been included in the Unicode Standard since the release of Unicode version 10.0 in June 2017. The Zanabazar Square block contains 72 characters.[5]
The Unicode block for Zanabazar Square is U+11A00–U+11A4F:
| Zanabazar Square[1][2] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF) | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
| U+11A0x | 𑨀 | 𑨁 | 𑨂 | 𑨃 | 𑨄 | 𑨅 | 𑨆 | 𑨇 | 𑨈 | 𑨉 | 𑨊 | 𑨋 | 𑨌 | 𑨍 | 𑨎 | 𑨏 |
| U+11A1x | 𑨐 | 𑨑 | 𑨒 | 𑨓 | 𑨔 | 𑨕 | 𑨖 | 𑨗 | 𑨘 | 𑨙 | 𑨚 | 𑨛 | 𑨜 | 𑨝 | 𑨞 | 𑨟 |
| U+11A2x | 𑨠 | 𑨡 | 𑨢 | 𑨣 | 𑨤 | 𑨥 | 𑨦 | 𑨧 | 𑨨 | 𑨩 | 𑨪 | 𑨫 | 𑨬 | 𑨭 | 𑨮 | 𑨯 |
| U+11A3x | 𑨰 | 𑨱 | 𑨲 | 𑨳 | 𑨴 | 𑨵 | 𑨶 | 𑨷 | 𑨸 | 𑨹 | 𑨺 | 𑨻 | 𑨼 | 𑨽 | 𑨾 | 𑨿 |
| U+11A4x | 𑩀 | 𑩁 | 𑩂 | 𑩃 | 𑩄 | 𑩅 | 𑩆 | 𑩇 | ||||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||||||||
- Pandey, Anshuman (2015-12-03). "L2/15-337: Proposal to Encode the Zanabazar Square Script in ISO/IEC 10646" (PDF). ISO/IEC JTC1/SC2/WG2.
- Shagdarsürüng, Tseveliin (2001). ""Study of Mongolian Scripts (Graphic Study or Grammatology). Enl."". Bibliotheca Mongolica: Monograph 1.
- Bareja-Starzyńska, Agata; Byambaa Ragchaa (2012). ""Notes on the Pre-existences of the First Khalkha Jetsundampa Zanabazar according to His Biography Written in the Horizontal Square Script."". Rocznik Orientalistyczny 1.
- "Mongolian Horizontal Square Script". www.omniglot.com. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- "Unicode 10.0.0". Unicode Consortium. June 20, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2017.