Sa (Indic)

Comparison of Sa in different scripts

Aramaic - Kharoṣṭhī 𐨯 Ashoka Brahmi Kushana Brahmi Tocharian  /  Gupta Brahmi Pallava - Kadamba - Bhaiksuki 𑰭 Siddhaṃ Grantha 𑌸 Cham ꨧ Sinhala ෂ Pyu / Old Mon - Tibetan Newa 𑐳 Ahom 𑜏 Malayalam സ Telugu స Burmese သ Lepcha ᰠ Ranjana - Saurashtra ꢱ Dives Akuru 𑤬 Kannada ಸ Kayah Li ꤎ Limbu ᤛ Soyombo 𑪁 Khmer ស Tamil ஸ Chakma 𑄥 Tai Tham ᩈ / ᨪ Meitei Mayek ꯁ Gaudi - Thai ส Lao ສ Tai Le ᥔ Marchen 𑲍 Tirhuta 𑒮 New Tai Lue ᦉ / ᦌ Tai Viet ꪎ / ꪏ Aksara Kawi - 'Phags-pa ꡛ Odia ସ Sharada 𑆱 Rejang ꤼ Batak ᯘ Buginese ᨔ Zanabazar Square 𑨰 Bengali-Assamese Takri 𑚨 Javanese ꦱ Balinese ᬲ Makasar 𑻰 Hangul - Northern Nagari - Dogri 𑠩 Laṇḍā - Sundanese ᮞ Baybayin ᜐ Modi 𑘭 Gujarati સ Khojki 𑈩 Khudabadi 𑋝 Mahajani 𑅰 Tagbanwa ᝰ Devanagari Nandinagari 𑧍 Kaithi 𑂮 Gurmukhi ਸ Multani 𑊥 Buhid ᝐ Canadian Syllabics ᓭ Soyombo 𑪁 Sylheti Nagari ꠡ Gunjala Gondi 𑶉 Masaram Gondi 𑴫 Hanuno'o ᜰ Notes

Sa is a consonant of Indic abugidas. In modern Indic scripts, Sa is derived from the early "Ashoka" Brahmi letter after having gone through the Gupta letter .

Āryabhaṭa numeration

Further information: Āryabhaṭa numeration

Aryabhata used Devanagari letters for numbers, very similar to the Greek numerals, even after the invention of Indian numerals. The values of the different forms of स are:

• स [sə] = 90 (९०)
• सि [sɪ] = 9,000 (९ ०००)
• सु [sʊ] = 900,000 (९ ०० ०००)
• सृ [sri] = 90,000,000 (९ ०० ०० ०००)
• सॢ [slə] = 9×10⁹ (९×१०^९)
• से [se] = 9×10¹¹ (९×१०^११)
• सै [sɛː] = 9×10¹³ (९×१०^१३)
• सो [soː] = 9×10¹⁵ (९×१०^१५)
• सौ [sɔː] = 9×10¹⁷ (९×१०^१७)

Historic Sa

There are three different general early historic scripts - Brahmi and its variants, Kharoṣṭhī, and Tocharian, the so-called slanting Brahmi. Sa as found in standard Brahmi, was a simple geometric shape, with variations toward more flowing forms by the Gupta . The Tocharian Sa had an alterante Fremdzeichen form, . The third form of sa, in Kharoshthi () was probably derived from Aramaic separately from the Brahmi letter.

Brahmi Sa

The Brahmi letter , Sa, is probably derived from the altered Aramaic Samekh , and is thus related to the modern Greek Xi. Several identifiable styles of writing the Brahmi Sa can be found, most associated with a specific set of inscriptions from an artifact or diverse records from an historic period. As the earliest and most geometric style of Brahmi, the letters found on the Edicts of Ashoka and other records from around that time are normally the reference form for Brahmi letters, with vowel marks not attested until later forms of Brahmi back-formed to match the geometric writing style.

Brahmi Sa historic forms

Ashoka (3rd-1st c. BCE)	Girnar (~150 BCE)	Kushana (~150-250 CE)	Gujarat (~250 CE)	Gupta (~350 CE)

Tocharian Sa

The Tocharian letter is derived from the Brahmi , and has an alternate Fremdzeichen form used in conjuncts and as an alternate representation of Sä.

Tocharian Sa with vowel marks

Sa	Sā	Si	Sī	Su	Sū	Sr	Sr̄	Se	Sai	So	Sau	Sä	Fremdzeichen

Kharoṣṭhī Sa

The Kharoṣṭhī letter is generally accepted as being derived from the altered Aramaic Samekh , and is thus related to Xi, in addition to the Brahmi Sa.

Devanagari Sa

Main article: Devanagari sa

Sa (स) is a consonant of the Devanagari abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter , after having gone through the Gupta letter . Letters that derive from it are the Gujarati letter સ, and the Modi letter 𑘭.

Devanagari-using Languages

In all languages, स is pronounced as [sə] or [s] when appropriate. Like all Indic scripts, Devanagari uses vowel marks attached to the base consonant to override the inherent /ə/ vowel:

Devanagari स with vowel marks

Sa	Sā	Si	Sī	Su	Sū	Sr	Sr̄	Sl	Sl̄	Se	Sai	So	Sau	S
स	सा	सि	सी	सु	सू	सृ	सॄ	सॢ	सॣ	से	सै	सो	सौ	स्

Conjuncts with स

Half form of Sa.

Devanagari exhibits conjunct ligatures, as is common in Indic scripts. In modern Devanagari texts, most conjuncts are formed by reducing the letter shape to fit tightly to the following letter, usually by dropping a character's vertical stem, sometimes referred to as a "half form". Some conjunct clusters are always represented by a true ligature, instead of a shape that can be broken into constituent independent letters. Vertically stacked conjuncts are ubiquitous in older texts, while only a few are still used routinely in modern Devanagari texts. The use of ligatures and vertical conjuncts may vary across languages using the Devanagari script, with Marathi in particular preferring the use of half forms where texts in other languages would show ligatures and vertical stacks.

Ligature conjuncts of स

True ligatures are quite rare in Indic scripts. The most common ligated conjuncts in Devanagari are in the form of a slight mutation to fit in context or as a consistent variant form appended to the adjacent characters. Those variants include Na and the Repha and Rakar forms of Ra. Nepali and Marathi texts use the "eyelash" Ra half form for an initial "R" instead of repha.

• Repha र্ (r) + स (sa) gives us the ligature rsa: ^note

• Eyelash र্ (r) + स (sa) gives us the ligature rsa:

• स্ (s) + rakar र (ra) gives us the ligature sra:

Stacked conjuncts of स

Vertically stacked ligatures are the most common conjunct forms found in Devanagari text. Although the constituent characters may need to be stretched and moved slightly in order to stack neatly, stacked conjuncts can be broken down into recognizable base letters, or a letter and an otherwise standard ligature.

• छ্ (cʰ) + स (sa) gives us the ligature cʰsa:

• ढ্ (ḍʱ) + स (sa) gives us the ligature ḍʱsa:

• ड্ (ḍ) + स (sa) gives us the ligature ḍsa:

• द্ (d) + स (sa) gives us the ligature dsa:

• ङ্ (ŋ) + स (sa) gives us the ligature ŋsa:

• Repha र্ (r) + स্ (s) + व (va) gives us the ligature rsva:

• स্ (s) + ब (ba) gives us the ligature sba:

• स্ (s) + च (ca) gives us the ligature sca:

• स্ (s) + ज (ja) gives us the ligature sja:

• स্ (s) + ज্ (j) + ञ (ña) gives us the ligature sjña:

• स্ (s) + ल (la) gives us the ligature sla:

• स্ (s) + न (na) gives us the ligature sna:

• स্ (s) + ञ (ña) gives us the ligature sña:

• स্ (s) + व (va) gives us the ligature sva:

• ठ্ (ṭʰ) + स (sa) gives us the ligature ṭʰsa:

• ट্ (ṭ) + स (sa) gives us the ligature ṭsa:

Bengali Sa

The Bengali script স is derived from the Siddhaṃ , and is marked by a similar horizontal head line, but less geometric shape, than its Devanagari counterpart, स. The inherent vowel of Bengali consonant letters is /ɔ/, so the bare letter স will sometimes be transliterated as "so" instead of "sa". Adding okar, the "o" vowel mark, gives a reading of /so/.

Like all Indic consonants, স can be modified by marks to indicate another (or no) vowel than its inherent "a".

Bengali স with vowel marks

sa	sā	si	sī	su	sū	sr	sr̄	se	sai	so	sau	s
স	সা	সি	সী	সু	সূ	সৃ	সৄ	সে	সৈ	সো	সৌ	স্

স in Bengali-using languages

স is used as a basic consonant character in all of the major Bengali script orthographies, including Bengali and Assamese.

Conjuncts with স

Bengali স exhibits conjunct ligatures, as is common in Indic scripts, with a tendency towards stacked ligatures.

• ক্ (k) + স (sa) gives us the ligature ksa:

• প্ (p) + স (sa) gives us the ligature psa:

• র্ (r) + স (sa) gives us the ligature rsa, with the repha prefix:

• স্ (s) + ক (ka) gives us the ligature ska:

• স্ (s) + খ (kʰa) gives us the ligature skʰa:

• স্ (s) + ক্ (k) + র (ra) gives us the ligature skra, with the ra phala suffix:

• স্ (s) + ল (la) gives us the ligature sla:

• স্ (s) + ম (ma) gives us the ligature sma:

• স্ (s) + ন (na) gives us the ligature sna:

• স্ (s) + প (pa) gives us the ligature spa:

• স্ (s) + ফ (pʰa) gives us the ligature spʰa:

• স্ (s) + প্ (p) + ল (la) gives us the ligature spla:

• স্ (s) + র (ra) gives us the ligature sra, with the ra phala suffix:

• স্ (s) + ত (ta) gives us the ligature sta:

• স্ (s) + থ (tʰa) gives us the ligature stʰa:

• স্ (s) + থ্ (tʰ) + য (ya) gives us the ligature stʰya, with the ya phala suffix:

• স্ (s) + ত্ (t) + র (ra) gives us the ligature stra, with the ra phala suffix:

• স্ (s) + ট (ṭa) gives us the ligature sṭa:

• স্ (s) + ট্ (ṭ) + র (ra) gives us the ligature sṭra, with the ra phala suffix:

• স্ (s) + ত্ (t) + ব (va) gives us the ligature stva, with the va phala suffix:

• স্ (s) + ত্ (t) + য (ya) gives us the ligature stya, with the ya phala suffix:

• স্ (s) + ব (va) gives us the ligature sva, with the va phala suffix:

• স্ (s) + য (ya) gives us the ligature sya, with the ya phala suffix:

• ত্ (t) + স (sa) gives us the ligature tsa:

Gujarati Sa

Gujarati Sa.

Sa (સ) is the thirty-secont consonant of the Gujarati abugida. It is derived from the Devanagari Sa with the top bar (shiro rekha) removed, and ultimately the Brahmi letter .

Gujarati-using Languages

The Gujarati script is used to write the Gujarati and Kutchi languages. In both languages, સ is pronounced as [sə] or [s] when appropriate. Like all Indic scripts, Gujarati uses vowel marks attached to the base consonant to override the inherent /ə/ vowel:

Sa	Sā	Si	Sī	Su	Sū	Sr	Sl	Sr̄	Sl̄	Sĕ	Se	Sai	Sŏ	So	Sau	S
Gujarati Sa syllables, with vowel marks in red.

Conjuncts with સ

Half form of Sa.

Gujarati સ exhibits conjunct ligatures, much like its parent Devanagari Script. Most Gujarati conjuncts can only be formed by reducing the letter shape to fit tightly to the following letter, usually by dropping a character's vertical stem, sometimes referred to as a "half form". A few conjunct clusters can be represented by a true ligature, instead of a shape that can be broken into constituent independent letters, and vertically stacked conjuncts can also be found in Gujarati, although much less commonly than in Devanagari.

True ligatures are quite rare in Indic scripts. The most common ligated conjuncts in Gujarati are in the form of a slight mutation to fit in context or as a consistent variant form appended to the adjacent characters. Those variants include Na and the Repha and Rakar forms of Ra.

• ર્ (r) + સ (sa) gives us the ligature RSa:

• સ્ (s) + ર (ra) gives us the ligature SRa:

Javanese Sa

Main article: Sa (Javanese)

Telugu Sa

Telugu independent and subjoined Sa.

Sa (స) is a consonant of the Telugu abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter . It is closely related to the Kannada letter ಸ. Most Telugu consonants contain a v-shaped headstroke that is related to the horizontal headline found in other Indic scripts, although headstrokes do not connect adjacent letters in Telugu. The headstroke is normally lost when adding vowel matras.

Telugu conjuncts are created by reducing trailing letters to a subjoined form that appears below the initial consonant of the conjunct. Many subjoined forms are created by dropping their headline, with many extending the end of the stroke of the main letter body to form an extended tail reaching up to the right of the preceding consonant. This subjoining of trailing letters to create conjuncts is in contrast to the leading half forms of Devanagari and Bengali letters. Ligature conjuncts are not a feature in Telugu, with the only non-standard construction being an alternate subjoined form of Ṣa (borrowed from Kannada) in the KṢa conjunct.

Malayalam Sa

Malayalam letter Sa

Sa (സ) is a consonant of the Malayalam abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter , via the Grantha letter Sa. Like in other Indic scripts, Malayalam consonants have the inherent vowel "a", and take one of several modifying vowel signs to represent syllables with another vowel or no vowel at all.

Malayalam Sa matras: Sa, Sā, Si, Sī, Su, Sū, Sr̥, Sr̥̄, Sl̥, Sl̥̄, Se, Sē, Sai, So, Sō, Sau, and S.

Conjuncts of സ

As is common in Indic scripts, Malayalam joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters. There are several ways in which conjuncts are formed in Malayalam texts: using a post-base form of a trailing consonant placed under the initial consonant of a conjunct, a combined ligature of two or more consonants joined together, a conjoining form that appears as a combining mark on the rest of the conjunct, the use of an explicit candrakkala mark to suppress the inherent "a" vowel, or a special consonant form called a "chillu" letter, representing a bare consonant without the inherent "a" vowel. Texts written with the modern reformed Malayalam orthography, put̪iya lipi, may favor more regular conjunct forms than older texts in paḻaya lipi, due to changes undertaken in the 1970s by the Government of Kerala.

• സ് (s) + ത (ta) gives us the ligature sta:

• സ് (s) + ഥ (tʰa) gives us the ligature stʰa:

• സ് (s) + ന (na) gives us the ligature sna:

• സ് (s) + പ (pa) gives us the ligature spa:

• സ് (s) + മ (ma) gives us the ligature sma:

• ക് (k) + സ (sa) gives us the ligature ksa:

• ത് (t) + സ (sa) gives us the ligature tsa:

• പ് (p) + സ (sa) gives us the ligature psa:

• സ് (s) + സ (sa) gives us the ligature ssa:

Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics Se

ᓭ, ᓯ, ᓱ and ᓴ are the base characters "Se", "Si", "So" and "Sa" in the Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics. The bare consonant ᔅ (S) is a small version of the A-series letter ᓴ, although the letter ᐢ, derived from Pitman shorthand was the original bare consonant symbol for S. The character ᓭ is derived from a handwritten form of the Devanagari letter स, without the headline or vertical stem, and the forms for different vowels are derived by mirroring.

Unlike most writing systems without legacy computer encodings, complex Canadian syllabic letters are represented in Unicode with pre-composed characters, rather than with base characters and diacritical marks.

Variant	E-series		I-series		O-series			A-series			Other
S + vowel	ᓭ		ᓯ		ᓱ			ᓴ			-
	Se		Si		So			Sa			-
Small	-		ᣚ		ᔇ			ᔅ			ᐢ
	-		Ojibway S		Sw			S			Algonquian S
S with long vowels	-		ᓰ		ᓲ		ᓳ	ᓵ			-
	-		Sī		Sō		Cree Sō	Sā			-
S + W-vowels	ᓶ	ᓷ	ᓸ	ᓹ	ᓼ		ᓽ	ᔀ		ᔁ	ᔋ
	Swe	Cree Swe	Swi	Cree Swi	Swo		Cree Swo	Swa		Cree Swa	Naskapi Sw
S + long W-vowels	-		ᓺ	ᓻ	ᓾ		ᓿ	ᔂ	ᔄ	ᔃ	-
	-		Swī	Cree Swī	Swō		Cree Swō	Swā	Naskapi Swā	Cree Swā	-
S with ring diacritics	-		ᓮ		ᢾ			ᢿ			-
	-		Sāi		Soy			Say			-
Naskapi compound letters	ᔌ		ᔍ		ᔏ			ᔎ			ᔊ
	Spwa		Stwa		Scwa			Skwa			Skw

Odia Sa

Odia independent and subjoined letter Sa.

Sa (ସ) is a consonant of the Odia abugida. It ultimately arose from the Brahmi letter , via the Siddhaṃ letter Sa. Like in other Indic scripts, Odia consonants have the inherent vowel "a", and take one of several modifying vowel signs to represent syllables with another vowel or no vowel at all.

Odia Sa with vowel matras

Sa	Sā	Si	Sī	Su	Sū	Sr̥	Sr̥̄	Sl̥	Sl̥̄	Se	Sai	So	Sau	S
ସ	ସା	ସି	ସୀ	ସୁ	ସୂ	ସୃ	ସୄ	ସୢ	ସୣ	ସେ	ସୈ	ସୋ	ସୌ	ସ୍

Conjuncts of ସ

As is common in Indic scripts, Odia joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters. The most common conjunct formation is achieved by using a small subjoined form of trailing consonants. Most consonants' subjoined forms are identical to the full form, just reduced in size, although a few drop the curved headline or have a subjoined form not directly related to the full form of the consonant. The second type of conjunct formation is through pure ligatures, where the constituent consonants are written together in a single graphic form. This ligature may be recognizable as being a combination of two characters or it can have a conjunct ligature unrelated to its constituent characters.

• ତ୍ (t) + ସ (sa) gives us the ligature tsa:

References

^note Conjuncts are identified by IAST transliteration, except aspirated consonants are indicated with a superscript "h" to distinguish from an unaspirated cononant + Ha, and the use of the IPA "ŋ" and "ʃ" instead of the less dinstinctive "ṅ" and "ś".