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Chakma Changmha Ajhapat 𑄌𑄋𑄴𑄟𑄳𑄦 𑄃𑄧𑄏𑄛𑄖𑄴
The word 'Changmha Ajhapat' in Chakma script
Script type	Abugida
Period	c. 600 CE – present
Direction	Left-to-right
Languages	Chakma language,Pali[1]
Related scripts
Parent systems	Proto-Sinaitic alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Brahmi script Tamil-Brahmi[2] Pallava script Mon–Burmese script[3][4][5] Chakma
Sister systems	Burmese script Mon script S'gaw Karen alphabet Khmer script Ahom alphabet Tanchangya script
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Cakm(349), ​Chakma
Unicode
Unicode alias	Chakma
Unicode range	U+11100–U+1114F[6]
This article containsphonetic transcriptions in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. For the distinction between[ ],/ / and ⟨ ⟩, seeIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

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TheChakma Script (Chakma:𑄌𑄋𑄴𑄟𑄳𑄦 𑄃𑄧𑄏𑄛𑄖𑄴), also calledAjhā Pāṭh, is anabugida used for theChakma language, and recently for thePali language.^[1]

The Chakma script is anabugida that belongs to theBrahmic family of scripts. Chakma evolved from theBurmese script, which was ultimately derived fromPallava.^[3][4][5] Proto Chakma developed around the 6th century CE. Old Chakma developed in the 8th century CE. Classical Literary Chakma was used in the 11th to 15th centuries and the current Standard Chakma was developed and revived in the 20th century.^{[citation needed]}

The script, along with theChakma language, has been introduced to non-government schools inBangladesh, and as well as schools inMizoram.^[7]

Chakma is of the Brahmic type: the consonant letters contain an inherent vowel. Unusually forEastern Indo-Aryan languages, the inherent vowel in Chakma is a long 'ā' (a) as opposed to short 'a' (ɔ). Consonant clusters are written with conjunct characters, and a visible vowel killer shows the deletion of the inherent vowel when there is no conjunct.

Four independent vowels exist:

Other vowels in initial position are formed by adding the vowel sign to𑄃 ā, as in𑄃𑄩 ī,𑄃𑄫 ū,𑄃𑄭 ai,𑄃𑄰 oi. Some modern writers are generalizing this spelling in𑄃𑄨 i,𑄃𑄪 u, and𑄃𑄬 e.

One of the interesting features of Chakma writing is that candrabindu 𑄀 (cānaphudā) can be used together with anusvara 𑄁 (ekaphudā) and visarga 𑄂 (dviphudā):

𑄃𑄂𑄀 aḥṃ =𑄃 ā +𑄂 h + 𑄀ṃ

𑄃𑄁𑄀 aṃṃ =𑄃 ā +𑄁 ṃ + 𑄀ṃ

𑄅𑄁𑄀 uṃṃ =𑄅 u +𑄁 ṃ + 𑄀ṃ

𑄟𑄪𑄀 muṃ =𑄟 mā +𑄪 u + 𑄀ṃ

Like other Brahmic scripts, Chakma makes use of themaayyaa (killer) to invoke conjoined consonants. In the past, practice was much more common than it is today. Like the Myanmar script, Chakma is encoded with two vowel-killing characters in order to conform to modern user expectations. As shown above, most letters have their vowels killed with the use of the explicitmaayyaa:

𑄇𑄴 k = 𑄇 kā + 𑄴 MAAYYAA

In 2001 an orthographic reform was recommended in the bookCāṅmā pattham pāt which would limit the standard repertoire of conjuncts to those composed with the five letters 𑄠 yā, 𑄢 rā, 𑄣 lā, 𑄤 wā, and 𑄚 nā. The four here are the most widely accepted repertoire of conjuncts. No separate conjunct forms of subjoined full-form -yā or -rā appear to exist. The fifth of these conjuncts, the -na conjunct, is exemplary of the orthographic shift which has taken place in the Chakma language.

While some writers would indeed writekakna (in ligating style) as 𑄇𑄇𑄳𑄚 or (in subjoining style) as 𑄇𑄇𑄳𑄚, most now would probably expect it to be written as 𑄇𑄇𑄴𑄚. The ligating style of glyphs is now considered old-fashioned. Thus, taking the letter 𑄟 mā as the second element, while the glyph shapes 𑄇𑄳𑄟 kmā, 𑄖𑄳𑄟 tmā, 𑄚𑄳𑄟 nmā, 𑄝𑄳𑄝 bbā, 𑄟𑄳𑄟 mmā, 𑄣𑄳𑄣 llā, 𑄥𑄳𑄟 smā, and 𑄦𑄳𑄟 hmā are attested, most users now prefer the glyph shapes 𑄇𑄳𑄟 kmā, 𑄖𑄳𑄟 tmā, 𑄚𑄳𑄟 nmā, 𑄝𑄳𑄝 bbā, 𑄟𑄳𑄟 mmā, 𑄣𑄳𑄣 llā, 𑄥𑄳𑄟 smā, and 𑄦𑄳𑄟 hmā. Again, this distinction is stylistic and not orthographic.

The 2004 bookPhadagaṅ shows examples of the five conjuncts above together alongside conjuncts formed with 𑄝 bā, 𑄟 mā, and 𑄦 hā. These are all formed by simple subjoining.

In the 1982 bookCāṅmār āg pudhi a much wider range of conjunct pairs is shown, some of them with fairly complicated glyphs:

Chakma letters have a descriptive name followed by a traditional Brahmic consonant. These are given in annotations to the character names. Alongside a single (𑅁) and double (𑅂) danda punctuation, Chakma has a unique question mark (𑅃), and a section sign,Phulacihna. There is some variation in the glyphs for thePhulacihna (𑅀), some looking like flowers or leaves.

The Chakma script contains its own set of numerals, althoughBengali numerals are also used.

Chakma script was added to theUnicode Standard in January 2012 with the release of version 6.1.^[8]

The Unicode block for Chakma script is U+11100–U+1114F. Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points:

The Chakma language is taught in numerous government and private schools across India (in Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh) and Bangladesh. In 2004, the Government of Tripura's Directorate of Kokborok & Other Minority Languages officially introduced Chakma in primary schools using the Bengali script. Since 2013, it has been taught using the Chakma script. Currently,^[when?] 87 schools offer Chakma language instruction.^[9]

• RibengUni (First Chakma Unicode Font)
• Chakma ScriptArchived 2020-01-15 at theWayback Machine
• Chakma Bangla Blog
• Chakma Prototype Keyboard
• Chakma Unicode Converter
• Available Chakma Unicode Fonts
• Chakma Keyboard Layout for Mac OSX
• Chakma Open Dictionary
• "Chakma alphabet, pronunciation and language".Omniglot. Retrieved2 September 2012.
• "Tribal Languages - Banglapedia".Banglapedia. Retrieved1 September 2018.

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