Kirat Rai Rai Khambu Rai Rai Barṇamālā Kirat Khambu Rai | |
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Script type | |
Time period | 1920 – present |
Languages | Bantawa |
ISO 15924 | |
ISO 15924 | Krai (396), Kirat Rai |
Unicode | |
U+16D40–U+16D7F (tentative) | |
Kirat Rai (also called Khambu Rai, Rai Barṇamālā and Kirat Khambu Rai) is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the Sumhung Lipi of 1920s, used to write the Bantawa language in the Indian state of Sikkim.[1] Kirat Rai is composed of 31 primary characters, including seven vowels (and seven related vowel diacritics), one of which (/a/) is inherent in all consonants, 31 consonants, a virama to cancel the inherent vowel, and a vowel carrier to be used in combination with the vowel diacritics for writing word-initial vowels.[2]