Thaana

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Thaana
Type:	Abjad
Languages:	Dhivehi language
Time period:
ISO 15924 code:	`Thaa`
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key.

Thaana (written ތާނަ‎ in Thaana) is the writing system for the Dhivehi language spoken in the Maldives. It is an abjad, with vowels derived from the vowel diacritics of the Arabic abjad. It is a largely phonemic script: With a few minor exceptions, spelling can be predicted from pronunciation, and pronunciation from spelling. It is also easily mapped from the romanization system used for Dhivehi.

The origins of Thaana are unique among the world's alphabets: The first nine letters (h–v) are derived from the Arabic numerals, whereas the next nine (m–d) were the local Indic numerals. (See Hindu-Arabic numerals.) The remaining letters for loanwords (z–ch) and Arabic transliteration are derived from phonetically similar native consonants by means of diacritics, with the exception of y, which is of unknown origin. This means that Thaana is one of the few alphabets not derived graphically from the original Semitic alphabet — unless the Indic numerals were (see Brahmi numerals).

Thaana was developed during the 16th century by an unknown inventor. It first appeared in government documents in 1703, replacing the older alphabet Dhives Akuru.

Thaana, like Arabic, is written right to left. It indicates vowels with diacritic marks derived from Arabic. Each letter must carry either a vowel or a sukun (which indicates "no vowel"). The only exception to this rule is noonu which, when written without a diacritic, indicates prenasalization of a following stop.

The vowel signs are called fili; there are five fili for short vowels (a,i,u,e,o), where the first three look identical to the Arabic vowel signs (fatha, kasra and damma). Long vowels (aa,ee,oo,ey,oa) are denoted by doubled fili (except oa, which is a modification of the short obofili).

The letter alifu has no sound value of its own and is used for three different purposes: It can act as a carrier for a vowel with no preceding consonant, that is, a word-initial vowel or the second part of a diphthong; when it carries a sukun, it indicates gemination (lengthening) of the following consonant; and if alifu+sukun occurs at the end of a word, it indicates that the word ends in /eh/. Gemination of nasals, however, is indicated by noonu+sukun preceding the nasal to be geminated.

Thaana occupies Unicode codepoints 1920-1983 (hexadecimal 0780-07BF).

**Characters of the Thaana script**
(vowels are displayed with an *alifu* carrier)
Grapheme	HTML Unicode	Name	Romanization	IPA value
ހ	ހ	HAA	h	[h]
ށ	ށ	SHAVIYANI	sh	[ʂ]
ނ	ނ	NOONU	n	[n]
ރ	ރ	RAA	r	[r]
ބ	ބ	BAA	b	[b]
ޅ	ޅ	LHAVIYANI	lh	[ɭ]
ކ	ކ	KAAFU	k	[k]
އ	އ	ALIFU	varies	see article
ވ	ވ	VAAVU	v	[v]
މ	މ	MEEMU	m	[m]
ފ	ފ	FAAFU	f	[f]
ދ	ދ	DHAALU	dh	[d]
ތ	ތ	THAA	th	[t]
ލ	ލ	LAAMU	l	[l]
ގ	ގ	GAAFU	g	[g]
ޏ	ޏ	GNAVIYANI	gn	[ɲ]
ސ	ސ	SEENU	s	[s]
ޑ	ޑ	DAVIYANI	d	[ɖ]
ޒ	ޒ	ZAVIYANI	z	[z]
ޓ	ޓ	TAVIYANI	t	[ʈ]
ޔ	ޔ	YAA	y	[j]
ޕ	ޕ	PAVIYANI	p	[p]
ޖ	ޖ	JAVIYANI	j	[ɟ]
ޗ	ޗ	CHAVIYANI	ch	[c]
ޘ	ޘ	TTAA	Arabic-to-Dhivehi transliteration characters
ޙ	ޙ	HHAA
ޚ	ޚ	KHAA
ޛ	ޛ	THAALU
ޜ	ޜ	ZAA	English-to-Dhivehi transliteration [ʒ]
ޝ	ޝ	SHEENU	Arabic-to-Dhivehi transliteration characters
ޞ	ޞ	SAADHU
ޟ	ޟ	DAADHU
ޠ	ޠ	TO
ޡ	ޡ	ZO
ޢ	ޢ	AINU
ޣ	ޣ	GHAINU
ޤ	ޤ	QAAFU
ޥ	ޥ	WAAVU
އަ	ަ	ABAFILI	a	[a]
އާ	ާ	AABAAFILI	aa	[aː]
އި	ި	IBIFILI	i	[i]
އީ	ީ	EEBEEFILI	ee	[iː]
އު	ު	UBUFILI	u	[u]
އޫ	ޫ	OOBOOFILI	oo	[uː]
އެ	ެ	EBEFILI	e	[e]
އޭ	ޭ	EYBEYFILI	ey	[eː]
އޮ	ޮ	OBOFILI	o	[o]
އޯ	ޯ	OABOAFILI	oa	[oː]
އް	ް	SUKUN	varies	see article
ޱ	ޱ	NAA (Addu dialect)	?	?

For a sample text, see the article on Gaumii salaam, the Maldives' national anthem.

[edit] Sources

Ager, Simon. Thaana (Maldivian) script. Omniglot, writing systems & languages of the world. Retrieved on September 12, 2006.
Gair, James W. & Cain, Bruce D. (1996), "Divehi Writing" in Peter T. Daniels & William Bright, ed., The World's Writing Systems, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 564-568. ISBN 0-19-507993-0.