U+1218 "መ" Ethiopic Syllable Ma Unicode Character

Unicode Version 17.0

U+1218 "መ" Ethiopic Syllable Ma is a character from the Ethiopic script used for writing languages such as Amharic, Tigrinya, and Ge'ez, where it represents the syllable "ma" with the inherent vowel "ä." This script is an abugida, meaning each character denotes a consonant plus a base vowel, and modifications to the shape indicate different vowel sounds. As part of the Ethiopic block in Unicode, "መ" is commonly employed in modern and historical texts to transcribe words like "መጽሐፍ" meaning book in Amharic, and its design features a distinctive loop and vertical stroke that reflect the ancient origins of the script dating back to the 4th century. The character's inclusion in Unicode ensures its digital representation across platforms, preserving linguistic heritage for millions of speakers in the Horn of Africa.

General Properties

Code Point U+1218
Version Added 3.0
Name Ethiopic Syllable Ma
Block Ethiopic
General Category Other Letter
Canonical Combining Class Not Reordered
Bidirectional Class Left To Right

Encodings

HTML Decimal Encoding መ
HTML Hex Encoding መ
UTF-8 Encoding 0xE1 0x88 0x98
UTF-16 Encoding 0x1218
UTF-32 Encoding 0x00001218
C/C++/Java Escape \u1218

Unicode Properties

NFC Quick Check Yes
NFD Quick Check Yes
NFKC Quick Check Yes
NFKD Quick Check Yes
Numeric Type None
Numeric Value NaN
Line Break Alphabetic
Script Ethiopic
Script Extensions Ethiopic
Indic Syllabic Category Other
ID Start Yes
XID Start Yes
ID Continue Yes
XID Continue Yes
Alphabetic Yes
Vertical Orientation Rotated
Grapheme Base Yes
Grapheme Cluster Break Other
Word Break Alphabetic letter
Sentence Break OLetter