Lontara Bilang-bilang script

The Lontara bilang-bilang or Bilang-Bilang script, which means "counting script", is a Buginese cipher script. The shapes of the glyphs were derived from Arabic-Indic numerals (۱۲۳۴۵۶۷۸). The script appeared in the time of the Kingdom of Gowa in South Sulawesi in 18th century. It is used traditionally and privately mainly to write diaries and poems in Buginese.

Notable features

Type of writing system: Abugida / Syllabic Alphabet
Writing direction: left to right in horizontal lines
Each consonant has an inherent vowel (a), other vowels are indicated by adding diacritics to the consonant.
There is no virama sign (as in Lontara), and no "ha", because traditionally the Buginese language did not use the "ha" sound. The letter "ha" in the Buginese script/Lontara is an addition due to Arabic influence.

Used to write

Bugis or Buginese (Basa Ugi / ᨅᨔ ᨕᨘᨁᨗ), a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken mainly in Sulawesi in Indonesia by about 4 million people.

Lontara Bilang-bilang script

Consonants

Lontara Bilang-bilang script - consonants

Vowel diacritics

Lontara Bilang-bilang script - vowels

Sample text in the Lontara Bilang-bilang script

Transliteration

ininnawa mapata ko, ala i pakkawaru, toto teng lésangmu.
tinulu' kuwala lonré, pata kuwala guling, pésona sompekku.

Translation

O my soul, be patient, make your efforts determine your destiny.
I make my honesty to be a ship, my patience as its rudder, and my faith to God as the sail.

(From a poem by Colli' Pujie)

Information provided by Ridwan Maulana

Information about Bugis | Bilang-bilang script | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Abugidas / Syllabic alphabets

Ahom, Aima, Arleng, Badagu, Badlit, Basahan, Balinese, Balti-A, Balti-B, Batak, Baybayin, Bengali, Bhaiksuki, Bhujimol, Bilang-bilang, Bima, Blackfoot, Brahmi, Buhid, Burmese, Carrier, Chakma, Cham, Cree, Dehong Dai, Devanagari, Dham Lipi, Dhankari / Sirmauri, Ditema, Dives Akuru, Dogra, Ethiopic, Evēla Akuru, Fox, Fraser, Gond, Goykanadi, Grantha, Gujarati, Gunjala Gondi, Gupta, Gurmukhi, Halbi Lipi, Hanifi, Hanuno'o, Hočąk, Ibalnan, Incung, Inuktitut, Jaunsari Takri, Javanese, Kaithi, Kadamba, Kamarupi, Kannada, Kawi, Kharosthi, Khema, Khe Prih, Khmer, Khojki, Khom Thai, Khudabadi, Kirat Rai, Kōchi, Kodava Lipi, Komering, Kulitan, Kurukh Banna, Lai Tay (Tai Yo), Lampung, Lanna, Lao, Leke, Lepcha, Limbu, Lontara/Makasar, Lota Ende, Magar Akkha, Mahajani, Malayalam, Meitei (Modern), Manpuri (Old), Marchen, Meetei Yelhou Mayek, Meroïtic, Masarm Gondi, Modi, Mon, Mongolian Horizontal Square Script, Multani, Nandinagari, Newa, New Tai Lue, Ojibwe, Odia, Ogan, Pahawh Hmong, Pallava, Phags-pa, Purva Licchavi, Qiang / Rma, Ranjana, Rejang (Kaganga), Sasak, Savara, Satera Jontal, Shan, Sharda, Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo, Siddham, Sinhala, Sorang Sompeng, Sourashtra, Soyombo, Sukhothai, Sundanese, Syloti Nagri, Tagbanwa, Tai Noi, Takri, Tamil, Tanchangya (Ka-Pat), Tani, Thaana, Telugu, Thai, Thirke, Tibetan, Tigalari, Tikamuli, Tocharian, Tolong Siki, Vatteluttu, Warang Citi

Other writing systems

Page last modified: 16.03.23

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