ʿ
The modifier letter left half ring ⟨ʿ⟩ is a character of the Unicode Spacing Modifier Letters range (although it is not a modifier but a standalone grapheme).[1] It is used in romanization to transliterate the Semitic letter ayin after it was used by The Encyclopedia of Islam (later the International Journal of Middle East Studies),[2] representing the sound /ʕ/ (a voiced pharyngeal fricative, as in Arabic ع ʿayn). In informal contexts, the backtick ⟨`⟩ or the apostrophe ⟨'⟩ is commonly used as a substitute.
