The Limbu (Sirijunga) script is a Brahmic abugida used for the Limbu language, a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Sikkim, eastern Nepal, and parts of Bhutan. Revived in the 18th century by scholar Te-ongsi Sirijunga Xin Thebe, it's a vital part of Limbu cultural identity.
This guide details the modern Limbu alphabet, covering consonants, independent and dependent vowels, numerals, and special symbols. Consonants inherently carry the vowel /ə/ unless modified by specific diacritics. Obsolete letters (ᤉ, ᤊ, ᤚ) are excluded here.
Limbu Consonants
| Limbu | Unicode Name | Transcription | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| ᤁ | Limbu Letter Ka | kə | /kə/ |
| ᤂ | Limbu Letter Kha | khə | /kʰə/ |
| ᤃ | Limbu Letter Ga | gə | /gə/ |
| ᤄ | Limbu Letter Gha | ghə | /gʱə/ |
| ᤅ | Limbu Letter Nga | ngə | /ŋə/ |
| ᤆ | Limbu Letter Cha | cə | /cə/ |
| ᤇ | Limbu Letter Chha | chə | /cʰə/ |
| ᤈ | Limbu Letter Ja | jə | /jə/ |
| ᤋ | Limbu Letter Ta | tə | /tə/ |
| ᤌ | Limbu Letter Tha | thə | /tʰə/ |
| ᤍ | Limbu Letter Da | də | /də/ |
| ᤎ | Limbu Letter Dha | dhə | /dʱə/ |
| ᤏ | Limbu Letter Na | nə | /nə/ |
| ᤐ | Limbu Letter Pa | pə | /pə/ |
| ᤑ | Limbu Letter Pha | phə | /pʰə/ |
| ᤒ | Limbu Letter Ba | bə | /bə/ |
| ᤓ | Limbu Letter Bha | bhə | /bʱə/ |
| ᤔ | Limbu Letter Ma | mə | /mə/ |
| ᤕ | Limbu Letter Ya | yə | /yə/ |
| ᤖ | Limbu Letter Ra | rə | /rə/ |
| ᤗ | Limbu Letter La | lə | /lə/ |
| ᤘ | Limbu Letter Wa | wə | /wə/ |
| ᤙ | Limbu Letter Sha | shə | /ʃə/ |
| ᤛ | Limbu Letter Sa | sə | /sə/ |
| ᤜ | Limbu Letter Ha | hə | /hə/ |
Note: Consonants carry an inherent vowel /ə/ unless modified by a vowel diacritic. Obsolete consonants (ᤉ Jha, ᤊ Yan, ᤚ Ssa) are excluded.
Limbu Final Consonants
| Limbu | Unicode Name | Transcription (with ᤁ) | IPA (with ᤁ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ᤰ | Limbu Small Letter Ka | kok | /kok/ |
| ᤱ | Limbu Small Letter Nga | kong | /koŋ/ |
| ᤲ | Limbu Small Letter Anusvara | kō | /kɔ/ |
| ᤳ | Limbu Small Letter Ta | kot | /kot/ |
| ᤴ | Limbu Small Letter Na | kon | /kon/ |
| ᤵ | Limbu Small Letter Pa | kop | /kop/ |
| ᤶ | Limbu Small Letter Ma | kom | /kom/ |
| ᤷ | Limbu Small Letter Ra | kor | /kor/ |
| ᤸ | Limbu Small Letter La | kol | /kol/ |
Note: Final consonants are used to close syllables, often with vowel diacritics or signs like sa-i (᤻).
Limbu Independent Vowels
| Limbu | Unicode Name | Transcription | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| ᤀ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter | ə | /ə/ |
| ᤀᤠ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter + Vowel Sign A | a | /a/ |
| ᤀᤡ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter + Vowel Sign I | i | /i/ |
| ᤀᤢ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter + Vowel Sign U | u | /u/ |
| ᤀᤣ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter + Vowel Sign Ee | ee | /eː/ |
| ᤀᤤ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter + Vowel Sign Ai | ai | /ai/ |
| ᤀᤥ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter + Vowel Sign Oo | oo | /oː/ |
| ᤀᤦ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter + Vowel Sign Au | au | /au/ |
| ᤀᤧ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter + Vowel Sign E | ɛ | /ɛ/ |
| ᤀᤨ | Limbu Vowel-Carrier Letter + Vowel Sign O | o | /o/ |
Note: Independent vowels use the vowel-carrier ᤀ. Long vowels may use kemphreng (᤺), e.g., ᤀᤥ᤺ for /oː/. Vowel Sign O (ᤨ) is often redundant.
Limbu Dependent Vowels
| Limbu | Unicode Name | Transcription (with ᤁ) | IPA (with ᤁ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ᤁ | Inherent Vowel | kə | /kə/ |
| ᤁᤠ | Limbu Vowel Sign A | ka | /ka/ |
| ᤁᤡ | Limbu Vowel Sign I | ki | /ki/ |
| ᤁᤢ | Limbu Vowel Sign U | ku | /ku/ |
| ᤁᤣ | Limbu Vowel Sign Ee | kee | /keː/ |
| ᤁᤤ | Limbu Vowel Sign Ai | kai | /kai/ |
| ᤁᤥ | Limbu Vowel Sign Oo | koo | /koː/ |
| ᤁᤦ | Limbu Vowel Sign Au | kau | /au/ |
| ᤁᤧ | Limbu Vowel Sign E | kɛ | /kɛ/ |
| ᤁᤨ | Limbu Vowel Sign O | ko | /o/ |
Note: Long vowels use kemphreng (᤺), e.g., ᤁᤥ᤺ for /koː/. In Nepal, sa-i (᤻) may indicate long vowels with final consonants, e.g., ᤁᤁ᤻.
Limbu Numerals
| Limbu | Unicode Name | English Numeral |
|---|---|---|
| ᥆ | Limbu Digit Zero | 0 |
| ᥇ | Limbu Digit One | 1 |
| ᥈ | Limbu Digit Two | 2 |
| ᥉ | Limbu Digit Three | 3 |
| ᥊ | Limbu Digit Four | 4 |
| ᥋ | Limbu Digit Five | 5 |
| ᥌ | Limbu Digit Six | 6 |
| ᥍ | Limbu Digit Seven | 7 |
| ᥎ | Limbu Digit Eight | 8 |
| ᥏ | Limbu Digit Nine | 9 |
Limbu Special Symbols
| Limbu | Unicode Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ᤩ | Limbu Subjoined Letter Ya | Used in consonant clusters, e.g., ᤁᤩ for /kyə/ |
| ᤪ | Limbu Subjoined Letter Ra | Used in consonant clusters, e.g., ᤁᤪ for /krə/ |
| ᤫ | Limbu Subjoined Letter Wa | Used in consonant clusters, e.g., ᤁᤫ for /kwə/ |
| ᤹ | Limbu Sign Mukphreng | Indicates glottalization, e.g., ᤁ᤹ for /koʔ/ |
| ᤺ | Limbu Sign Kemphreng | Marks long vowels, e.g., ᤁᤥ᤺ for /koː/ |
| ᤻ | Limbu Sign Sa-I | Kills inherent vowel or indicates long vowel in Nepal, e.g., ᤁᤁ᤻ |
| ᥀ | Limbu Sign Loo | Exclamatory particle |
| ᥄ | Limbu Exclamation Mark | Punctuation for emphasis |
| ᥅ | Limbu Question Mark | Punctuation for questions |
Note: Double danda from Devanagari may also be used for sentence endings.
Usage Notes
The Limbu script is written left to right and is primarily used for the Limbu language. It is taught in schools in Sikkim and Nepal to preserve cultural heritage.
- As an abugida, consonants carry an inherent vowel unless modified by a vowel diacritic.
- Independent vowels use the vowel-carrier ᤀ for vowel-initial syllables.
- The script is unicameral (no uppercase/lowercase distinction), and pronunciation varies slightly by dialect.
- It is often supplemented with Devanagari or Latin scripts in modern contexts for broader communication.
- Fonts like Noto Sans Limbu and Namdhinggo SIL provide excellent support for the script.
Source: Adapted from Unicode Standard and cultural insights from Sikkim and eastern Nepal.