U+17A5 "ឥ" Khmer Independent Vowel Qi Unicode Character

Unicode Version 17.0

U+17A5 "ឥ" Khmer Independent Vowel Qi is a character used in the Khmer script to represent the independent vowel sound equivalent to a short "e" or an initial "i" in the Khmer language, functioning as a standalone syllable without requiring a preceding consonant, unlike dependent vowel signs that attach to consonants. It is encoded in the Unicode Standard within the Khmer block, and its typical phonetic value is similar to the vowel sound in the English word "sit" or the French "i" in "si", though its exact pronunciation can vary slightly by dialect and regional usage within Cambodia. This character is part of the broader system of Khmer orthography, which includes both independent and dependent vowels derived from ancient Brahmi scripts, and it is essential for writing native Khmer words, loanwords, and for ensuring correct representation of the language in digital text.

General Properties

Code Point U+17A5
Version Added 3.0
Name Khmer Independent Vowel Qi
Block Khmer
General Category Other Letter
Canonical Combining Class Not Reordered
Bidirectional Class Left To Right

Encodings

HTML Decimal Encoding ឥ
HTML Hex Encoding ឥ
UTF-8 Encoding 0xE1 0x9E 0xA5
UTF-16 Encoding 0x17A5
UTF-32 Encoding 0x000017A5
C/C++/Java Escape \u17a5

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 Complex Context Dependent (South East Asian)
Script Khmer
Script Extensions Khmer
Indic Syllabic Category Vowel Independent
Indic Conjunct Break Consonant
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 Other
Sentence Break OLetter