Balinese alphabet (Aksara Bali)

The Balinese alphabet or Aksara Bali descended ultimately from the from Brahmi script
of ancient India by way of the Pallava and Old Kawi scripts. The oldest known
inscriptions in the Balinese alphabet date from the 11th century AD, but they are thought
to be reproductions of texts originally written on palm leaves at an earlier date.

The Balinese alphabet is still used to this day, although very few people are familiar with
it and it is mainly used for religious works. Generally, a version of the Latin alphabet is
used instead, although what little Balinese printed material exists in the Latin alphabet
consists mainly of school books, religious works and a few books of stories. Balinese
children are taught to read and write Balinese in the Latin alphabet at primary school,
though few read or write it in later life.

Notable features
 Type of writing system: syllabic alphabet / abugida.
 Direction of writing: left to right in horizontal lines.
 Each consonant has an inherent vowel. Other vowels can be indicated using
diacritics which appear above, below, in front of or after the consonant. If the
vowels appear in the middle of a word, the vowel signs are attached to the
syllable ha. Independent vowel letters are used when a word begins with a
vowel.
 Each consonant has an appended form (Pangangge Akśara) which is used when
one consonant follows another without a vowel in between.
 There are no spaces between words.
 Used to write: Balinese (Basa Bali) and Sasak

Balinese consonants (Akśara Wreşāstra)

The appended forms (Pangangge Akśara) are shown in red.

Additional Balinese consonants (Akśara Şwalalita)
There consonants are used for writing words from the Kawi (Old Javanese) language.

The final consonants are shown in red.

Balinese vowels (Akśara Suara)

Balinese vowel diacrtics

Balinese semi vowels

Balinese sound killers (Pangangge Tengenan)
These symbols are used at the ends of syllables to add a consonant sound or to mute
the inherent vowel.

Balinese numerals

Miscellaneous Balinese symbols

Balinese punctuation

The Balinese font used on this page was created by Jason Glavy
Balinese sample text (Balinese alphabet)

Transliteration
Makasami manusane kaembasin mahardika lan pateh. sajeroning kahanan lan kuasa.
ipun kanugrahin wiweka lan budi. pantaraning manusa mangdane paras-paros
masemetonan.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)