U+10B88 "𐮈" Psalter Pahlavi Letter Yodh Unicode Character

U+10B88 "𐮈" Psalter Pahlavi Letter Yodh is a character from the Psalter Pahlavi script, a cursive writing system used primarily for Middle Persian texts in Zoroastrian religious literature, particularly the Pahlavi Psalter. This letter represents the consonant sound /y/ and corresponds to the tenth letter in the Psalter Pahlavi alphabet, known as Yodh. In addition to its phonetic role, it functions as a mater lectionis, occasionally indicating the long vowel /iː/ or /eː/ in certain contexts, a common feature in Semitic-derived scripts. Unlike standard Book Pahlavi, which often uses ambiguous letter forms, the Psalter Pahlavi script is distinguished by its more explicit and consistent letter shapes, making it valuable for scholarly study of Middle Iranian languages and paleography. The inclusion of this character in Unicode supports the digital preservation and analysis of historical manuscripts and facilitates research into the linguistic and cultural heritage of ancient Persia.