Thaana script

Origin

The Thaana script was developed during the 18th century by an unknown inventor. It first appeared in government documents in 1703 and replaced an older alphabet known as Dhives akuru.

Some of the Taana letters were derived from Dhives akuru, while others were modelled on Arabic numerals. Vowel indication is modelled on the Arabic system of diacritics.

Notable features

Words are written from right to left, but numerals are written from left to right.
Originally Arabic numerals were used, however nowadays Western numerals (1, 2, 3, etc) are used.
Vowels are indicated with diacritics which appear above or below the consonants. When vowels are come at the beginning of a word or are pronounced separately, they are attached to the letter alifu.
When the sukun symbol is combined with the letter alifu it either doubles the following consonant, or if it appears at the end of a word after an "e", it adds and "h" sound.
A number of letters are used solely for writing Arabic loan words.

Used to write:

Dhivehi (Maldivian), an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 300,000 people in the Maldives and on India's Minicoy Islands.

Thaana consonants

Thaana vowel diacritics

Letters used for transliterating Arabic words (thiki jehi thaana)

Top row: Thaana letters, bottom row: the Arabic letters on which they are modelled

Letters used for transliterating Arabic words (toko jehee taana)

Note

the letter zaa is actually used to write the English sound /ʒ/.

Sample texts

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Maldivian

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Divehi sample text

Transliteration

al'la'ufedhey qaanoonu asaaseege himaayaïlibigen siyaaseepaateetha' hingeynegoïtha' hamajehifaïneïnama e'qaanoonuge misaalakee alifaanroavej'jenama salaamaïvaane sidie'neï ethake'bureege imaaraathe'ge misaaleve.

Translation

A newly formed constitution which does not give protection to political parties under it terms, is equivalent to a multi-storey building with no fire exits.

The sample text comes from the Maldivian news paper Sandhaanu, 15th August 2002

Links

Free Thaana fonts
http://www.wazu.jp/gallery/Fonts_Thaana.html
http://www.haveeru.com.mv/downloads/fonts.zip
http://www.mitf.net/index.php/projects/thaana/font-unicode.html
http://all1.thefreebizhost.com/Fonts.htm
http://www.saturn.in/foss/thanaunicode/ (Linux)

Dhivehi thaana - reading and writing the Maldivian language
http://www.maldivesculture.com/thaana01.html

Send email in the Thaana script
http://themaldiveislands.com/web2/tmi.phtml?pimt=4

Haveeru Online - online version of a daliy newspaper in Divehi and English (uses dynamic fonts): http://www.haveeru.com.mv

Maldives websites
http://www.visitmaldives.com.mv
http://www.maldive.com

Other alphabets

Armenian, Avestan, Bassa (Vah), Beitha Kukju, Coptic, Cyrillic, Elbsan, Etruscan, Fraser, Georgian (Asomtavruli & Nuskha-khucuri), Georgian (Mkhedruli), Glagolitic, Gothic, Greek, Hungarian Runes, Irish, Kayah Li, Korean, Latin, Lycian, Lydian, Manchu, Meroïtic, Mongolian, N'Ko, Ogham, Old Church Slavonic, Oirat Clear Script, Old Italic, Old Permic, Orkhon, Pollard Miao, Runic, Santali, Somali, Sutton SignWriting, Tai Dam, Thaana, Uyghur