Balinese script

The Balinese script, natively known as Aksara Bali and Hanacaraka, is an abugida used in the island of Bali, Indonesia, commonly for writing the Austronesian Balinese language, Old Javanese, and the liturgical language Sanskrit. With some modifications, the script is also used to write the Sasak language, used in the neighboring island of Lombok. The script is a descendant of the Brahmi script, and so has many similarities with the modern scripts of South and Southeast Asia. The Balinese script, along with the Javanese script, is considered the most elaborate and ornate among Brahmic scripts of Southeast Asia.

Balinese script
Aksarâ Bali
Aksaré bali
ᬅᬓ᭄ᬱᬭᬩᬮᬶ
Script type
Time period
c. 1000present
DirectionLeft-to-right 
LanguagesBalinese
Sasakese
Loloanese
Related scripts
Parent systems
Sister systems
Batak
Baybayin scripts
Javanese
Lontara
Makasar
Old Sundanese
Rencong
Rejang
ISO 15924
ISO 15924Bali (360), Balinese
Unicode
Unicode alias
Balinese
U+1B00U+1B7F

Though everyday use of the script has largely been supplanted by the Latin alphabet, the Balinese script has a significant prevalence in many of the island's traditional ceremonies and is strongly associated with the Hindu religion. The script is mainly used today for copying lontar or palm leaf manuscripts containing religious texts.

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