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Brahmic scripts used in Southeast Asia and India

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𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗛𝗠𝗜𝗖 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗧𝗦

Brahmic scripts are a family of abugida writing systems. They are used throughout the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia, including Japan in the form of Siddhaṃ. They have descended from the Brahmi script of ancient India and are used by various languages in several language families in South, East and Southeast Asia: Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman, Mongolic, Austroasiatic, Austronesian and Tai.

The followings are the Brahmic scripts which divided into two category based on the origin (as shown in the picture): Northern Brahmic and Southern Brahmic. The flag mentioned does not mean that there is only one country use the script.

𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗵𝗺𝗶𝗰

Bengali–Assamese (বাংলা-অসমীয়)

Devanagari (देवनागरी)

Gurmukhi (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ)

Gujarati (ગુજરાતી)

Kaithi (𑂍𑂶𑂟𑂲)

Lepcha (ᰛᰩᰴ)

Limbu (ᤕᤰᤌᤢᤱ)

Meetei (ꯃꯤꯇꯩ)

Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ)

ʼPhags-pa (ꡖꡍꡂꡛ ꡌ)

Pracalit (𑐥𑑂𑐬𑐔𑐮𑐶𑐟)

Sharada (𑆯𑆳𑆫𑆢𑆳)

Sylheti Nagri (ꠍꠤꠟꠐꠤ ꠘꠣꠉꠞꠤ)

Tibetan (བོད་)

Bhaiksuki (𑰥𑰹𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰲𑰎𑰱)

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗵𝗺𝗶𝗰

Ahom (𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨)

Balinese (ᬩᬮᬶ)

Batak (ᯅᯖᯂ᯲)

Baybayin (ᜊᜌ᜔ᜊᜌᜒᜈ᜔)

Buhid (ᝊᝓᝑᝒ)

Burmese (မြန်မာ)

Chakma (𑄌𑄋𑄴𑄟𑄳𑄦)

Cham (ꨌꩌ)

Hanunuo (ᜱᜨᜳᜨᜳᜢ)

Javanese (ꦗꦮ)

Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ)

Khmer (ខ្មែរ)

Lontara (ᨒᨚᨈᨑ)

Malayalam (മലയാളലിപി)

Lao (ລາວ)

Rejang (ꤽꥍꤺꥏ)

Saurashtra (ꢱꣃꢬꢵꢰ꣄ꢜ꣄ꢬ)

Sinhala (සිංහල)

Sundanese (ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ)

Tagbanwa (ᝦᝪᝯ)

Tai Le (ᥖᥭᥰᥘᥫᥴ)

Tai Tham (ᨲ᩠ᩅᩫᨾᩮᩥᩬᨦ)

Tamil (தமிழ்)

Telugu (తెలుగు)

Thai (ไทย)

What is your favourite Brahmic script?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/asiaunitedforum/permalink/1882500381900466

Ancient scripts of the Indian subcontinent (predominantly the Brahmi script family) spread across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of East Asia. Today, over a dozen modern national writing systems—including Devanagari, Thai, Khmer, Tibetan, and Javanese—are direct descendants of these ancient roots. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Countries that currently use scripts originating from the ancient Indian subcontinent include:

South Asia

• India: Uses Devanagari (Hindi, Sanskrit), Bengali, Gujarati, Gurmukhi (Punjabi), Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil.
• Nepal: Uses Devanagari and Ranjana scripts.
• Sri Lanka: Uses the Sinhala script.
• Bhutan: Uses the Tibetan-derived Chhokey (Uchen) script.
• Bangladesh & Pakistan: Use Bengali and Urdu scripts, both ultimately rooted in ancient Indian (Brahmi) and Perso-Arabic lineages. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Southeast Asia

• Thailand: Uses the Thai script, which evolved from the ancient South Indian Pallava and Old Khmer scripts.
• Cambodia: Uses the Khmer script, directly descended from early Pallava-Grantha scripts.
• Laos: Uses the Lao script, derived from ancient Khmer and Mon scripts.
• Myanmar: Uses the Burmese script, which descended directly from the ancient Pyu and Kadamba scripts.
• Indonesia: Uses the Latin alphabet for daily use, but Aksara Nusantara (Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, and Batak scripts) are still officially recognized and taught. [1, 2]

East Asia & Other Regions

• Tibet (China): The Tibetan script is directly derived from the Indian Gupta script.
• Japan: The Siddham script (an ancient variant of Brahmi) is still occasionally used in esoteric Buddhism. [1, 2]

Read also;

1/ Ancient scripts of the Indian subcontinent

By Indusian1236 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81629271

By Barclay Head (1844-1914) – Historia Numerum, A manual of Greek numismatics, published 1910 [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64721689

By Trini1988 – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18990520

By Sapedder – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77128065

By For the Greek alphabet:DrdpwFor the Bactrian letter Sho:Dcoetzee, F l a n k e rFor cursive: पाटलिपुत्र (talk) own work, referenced from Davary 1982 – This file was derived from: Bactrian alphabet.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97301635

By Michael Everson and Roozbeh Pournader, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2268483