Thaana Script

The Maldivian script that replaced its numeral-based predecessor with letters in 400 years flat.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Its first nine letters were borrowed from Arabic numerals, the next nine from Indic ones.
• Written right to left like Arabic, though built in the 18th century.
• Adds nasal and retroflex marks for Divehi's sounds, with vowel diacritics like an abugida.

Specifications & Metrics

• TYPE: Alphabet