# Bengali character tables # This document lists the per-character shaping information needed to [shape Bengali text](../opentype-shaping-bengali.md). **Contents** - [Bengali character table](#bengali-character-table) - [Vedic Extensions character table](#vedic-extensions-character-table) - [Miscellaneous character table](#miscellaneous-character-table) ## Bengali character table ## Bengali glyphs should be classified as in the following table. Codepoints in the Bengali block with no assigned meaning are designated as _unassigned_ in the _Unicode category_ column. Assigned codepoints with a _null_ in the _Shaping class_ column evoke no special behavior from the shaping engine. Note that this does include some valid codepoints, such as currency marks, punctuation, and other symbols. > Note: the `NUMBER` and `SYMBOL` _Shaping classes_ are important > during syllable identification, but generally evoke no further > special behavior during the rest of the shaping process. The _Mark-placement subclass_ column indicates mark-placement positioning for codepoints in the _Mark_ category. Assigned, non-mark codepoints have a _null_ in this column and evoke no special mark-placement behavior. Marks tagged with [Mn] in the _Unicode category_ column are categorized as non-spacing; marks tagged with [Mc] are categorized as spacing-combining. Some codepoints in the following table use a _Shaping class_ that differs from the codepoint's Unicode _General Category_. The _Shaping class_ takes precedence during OpenType shaping, as it captures more specific, script-aware behavior. :::{table} Bengali character table | Codepoint | Unicode category | Shaping class | Mark-placement subclass | Glyph | |:----------|:-----------------|:------------------|:---------------------------|:-----------------------------| |`U+0980` | Letter | CONSONANT_PLACEHOLDER | _null_ | ঀ Anji | |`U+0981` | Mark [Mn] | BINDU | TOP_POSITION | ঁ Candrabindu | |`U+0982` | Mark [Mc] | BINDU | RIGHT_POSITION | ং Anusvara | |`U+0983` | Mark [Mc] | VISARGA | RIGHT_POSITION | ঃ Visarga | |`U+0984` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+0985` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | অ A | |`U+0986` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | আ Aa | |`U+0987` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ই I | |`U+0988` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ঈ Ii | |`U+0989` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | উ U | |`U+098A` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ঊ Uu | |`U+098B` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ঋ Vocalic R | |`U+098C` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ঌ Vocalic L | |`U+098D` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+098E` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+098F` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | এ E | | | | | | |`U+0990` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ঐ Ai | |`U+0991` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+0992` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+0993` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ও O | |`U+0994` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ঔ Au | |`U+0995` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ক Ka | |`U+0996` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | খ Kha | |`U+0997` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | গ Ga | |`U+0998` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ঘ Gha | |`U+0999` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ঙ Nga | |`U+099A` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | চ Ca | |`U+099B` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ছ Cha | |`U+099C` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | জ Ja | |`U+099D` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ঝ Jha | |`U+099E` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ঞ Nya | |`U+099F` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ট Tta | | | | | | |`U+09A0` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ঠ Ttha | |`U+09A1` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ড Dda | |`U+09A2` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ঢ Ddha | |`U+09A3` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ণ Nna | |`U+09A4` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ত Ta | |`U+09A5` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | থ Tha | |`U+09A6` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | দ Da | |`U+09A7` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ধ Dha | |`U+09A8` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ন Na | |`U+09A9` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09AA` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | প Pa | |`U+09AB` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ফ Pha | |`U+09AC` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ব Ba | |`U+09AD` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ভ Bha | |`U+09AE` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ম Ma | |`U+09AF` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | য Ya | | | | | | |`U+09B0` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | র Ra | |`U+09B1` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09B2` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ল La | |`U+09B3` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09B4` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09B5` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09B6` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | শ Sha | |`U+09B7` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ষ Ssa | |`U+09B8` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | স Sa | |`U+09B9` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | হ Ha | |`U+09BA` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09BB` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09BC` | Mark [Mn] | NUKTA | BOTTOM_POSITION | ় Nukta | |`U+09BD` | Letter | AVAGRAHA | _null_ | ঽ Avagraha | |`U+09BE` | Mark [Mc] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | RIGHT_POSITION | া Sign Aa | |`U+09BF` | Mark [Mc] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | LEFT_POSITION | ি Sign I | | | | | | |`U+09C0` | Mark [Mc] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | RIGHT_POSITION | ী Sign Ii | |`U+09C1` | Mark [Mn] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | BOTTOM_POSITION | ু Sign U | |`U+09C2` | Mark [Mn] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | BOTTOM_POSITION | ূ Sign Uu | |`U+09C3` | Mark [Mn] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | BOTTOM_POSITION | ৃ Sign Vocalic R | |`U+09C4` | Mark [Mn] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | BOTTOM_POSITION | ৄ Sign Vocalic Rr | |`U+09C5` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09C6` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09C7` | Mark [Mc] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | LEFT_POSITION | ে Sign E | |`U+09C8` | Mark [Mc] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | LEFT_POSITION | ৈ Sign Ai | |`U+09C9` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09CA` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09CB` | Mark [Mc] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | LEFT_AND_RIGHT_POSITION | ো Sign O | |`U+09CC` | Mark [Mc] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | LEFT_AND_RIGHT_POSITION | ৌ Sign Au | |`U+09CD` | Mark [Mn] | VIRAMA | BOTTOM_POSITION | ্ Virama | |`U+09CE` | Letter | CONSONANT_DEAD | _null_ | ৎ Khanda Ta | |`U+09CF` | _unassigned_ | | | | | | | | | |`U+09D0` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09D1` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09D2` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09D3` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09D4` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09D5` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09D6` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09D7` | Mark [Mc] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | RIGHT_POSITION | ৗ Au Length Mark | |`U+09D8` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09D9` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09DA` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09DB` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09DC` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ড় Rra | |`U+09DD` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ঢ় Rha | |`U+09DE` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09DF` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | য় Yya | | | | | | |`U+09E0` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ৠ Vocalic Rr | |`U+09E1` | Letter | VOWEL_INDEPENDENT | _null_ | ৡ Vocalic Ll | |`U+09E2` | Mark [Mn] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | BOTTOM_POSITION | ৢ Sign Vocalic L | |`U+09E3` | Mark [Mn] | VOWEL_DEPENDENT | BOTTOM_POSITION | ৣ Sign Vocalic Ll | |`U+09E4` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09E5` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+09E6` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ০ Digit Zero | |`U+09E7` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ১ Digit One | |`U+09E8` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ২ Digit Two | |`U+09E9` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৩ Digit Three | |`U+09EA` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৪ Digit Four | |`U+09EB` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৫ Digit Five | |`U+09EC` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৬ Digit Six | |`U+09ED` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৭ Digit Seven | |`U+09EE` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৮ Digit Eight | |`U+09EF` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৯ Digit Nine | | | | | | |`U+09F0` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ৰ Assamese Ra | |`U+09F1` | Letter | CONSONANT | _null_ | ৱ Assamese Wa | |`U+09F2` | Symbol | SYMBOL | _null_ | ৲ Rupee Mark | |`U+09F3` | Symbol | SYMBOL | _null_ | ৳ Rupee Sign | |`U+09F4` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৴ Numerator One | |`U+09F5` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৵ Numerator Two | |`U+09F6` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৶ Numerator Three | |`U+09F7` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৷ Numerator Four | |`U+09F8` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৸ Numerator One Less Than Denominator | |`U+09F9` | Number | NUMBER | _null_ | ৹ Denominator Sixteen | |`U+09FA` | Symbol | SYMBOL | _null_ | ৺ Isshar | |`U+09FB` | Symbol | SYMBOL | _null_ | ৻ Ganda Mark | |`U+09FC` | Letter | _null_ | _null_ | ৼ Vedic Anusvara | |`U+09FD` | Punctuation | _null_ | _null_ | ৽ Abbreviation Sign | |`U+09FE` | Mark [Mn] | SYLLABLE_MODIFIER | TOP_POSITION | ৾ Sandhi Mark | |`U+09FF` | _unassigned_ | | | | ::: ## Vedic Extensions character table ## Sanskrit runs written in the Bengali script may also include characters from the Vedic Extensions block. These characters should be classified as follows. > Note: See the [Vedic Extensions](../opentype-shaping-vedic-extensions.md) > document for additional information. :::{table} Vedic Extensions character table | Codepoint | Unicode category | Shaping class | Mark-placement subclass | Glyph | |:----------|:-----------------|:------------------|:---------------------------|:-----------------------------| |`U+1CD0` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | TOP_POSITION | ᳐ Tone Karshana | |`U+1CD1` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | TOP_POSITION | ᳑ Tone Shara | |`U+1CD2` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | TOP_POSITION | ᳒ Tone Prenkha | |`U+1CD3` | Punctuation | _null_ | _null_ | ᳓ Sign Nihshvasa | |`U+1CD4` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | OVERSTRUCK | ᳔ Tone Midline Svarita | |`U+1CD5` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳕ Tone Aggravated Independent Svarita | |`U+1CD6` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳖ Tone Independent Svarita | |`U+1CD7` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳗ Tone Kathaka Independent Svarita | |`U+1CD8` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳘ Tone Candra Below | |`U+1CD9` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳙ Tone Kathaka Independent Svarita Schroeder | |`U+1CDA` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | TOP_POSITION | ᳚ Tone Double Svarita | |`U+1CDB` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | TOP_POSITION | ᳛ Tone Triple Svarita | |`U+1CDC` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳜ Tone Kathaka Anudatta | |`U+1CDD` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳝ Tone Dot Below | |`U+1CDE` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳞ Tone Two Dots Below | |`U+1CDF` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳟ Tone Three Dots Below | | | | | | |`U+1CE0` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | TOP_POSITION | ᳠ Tone Rigvedic Kashmiri Independent Svarita | |`U+1CE1` | Mark [Mc] | CANTILLATION | RIGHT_POSITION | ᳡ Tone Atharavedic Independent Svarita | |`U+1CE2` | Mark [Mn] | AVAGRAHA | OVERSTRUCK | ᳢ Sign Visarga Svarita | |`U+1CE3` | Mark [Mn] | _null_ | OVERSTRUCK | ᳣ Sign Visarga Udatta | |`U+1CE4` | Mark [Mn] | _null_ | OVERSTRUCK | ᳤ Sign Reversed Visarga Udatta | |`U+1CE5` | Mark [Mn] | _null_ | OVERSTRUCK | ᳥ Sign Visarga Anudatta | |`U+1CE6` | Mark [Mn] | _null_ | OVERSTRUCK | ᳦ Sign Reversed Visarga Anudatta | |`U+1CE7` | Mark [Mn] | _null_ | OVERSTRUCK | ᳧ Sign Visarga Udatta With Tail | |`U+1CE8` | Mark [Mn] | AVAGRAHA | OVERSTRUCK | ᳨ Sign Visarga Anudatta With Tail | |`U+1CE9` | Letter | SYMBOL | _null_ | ᳩ Sign Anusvara Antargomukha | |`U+1CEA` | Letter | _null_ | _null_ | ᳪ Sign Anusvara Bahirgomukha | |`U+1CEB` | Letter | _null_ | _null_ | ᳫ Sign Anusvara Vamagomukha | |`U+1CEC` | Letter | SYMBOL | _null_ | ᳬ Sign Anusvara Vamagomukha With Tail | |`U+1CED` | Mark [Mn] | AVAGRAHA | BOTTOM_POSITION | ᳭ Sign Tiryak | |`U+1CEE` | Letter | SYMBOL | _null_ | ᳮ Sign Hexiform Long Anusvara | |`U+1CEF` | Letter | _null_ | _null_ | ᳯ Sign Long Anusvara | | | | | | |`U+1CF0` | Letter | _null_ | _null_ | ᳰ Sign Rthang Long Anusvara | |`U+1CF2` | Letter | CONSONANT_DEAD | _null_ | ᳲ Sign Ardhavisarga | |`U+1CF3` | Letter | CONSONANT_DEAD | _null_ | ᳳ Sign Rotated Ardhavisarga | |`U+1CF3` | Mark [Mc] | VISARGA | _null_ | ᳳ Sign Rotated Ardhavisarga | |`U+1CF4` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | TOP_POSITION | ᳴ Tone Candra Above | |`U+1CF5` | Letter | CONSONANT_WITH_STACKER | _null_ | ᳵ Sign Jihvamuliya | |`U+1CF6` | Letter | CONSONANT_WITH_STACKER | _null_ | ᳶ Sign Upadhmaniya | |`U+1CF7` | Mark [Mc] | _null_ | _null_ | ᳷ Sign Atikrama | |`U+1CF8` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | _null_ | ᳸ Tone Ring Above | |`U+1CF9` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | _null_ | ᳹ Tone Double Ring Above | |`U+1CFA` | Letter | PLACEHOLDER | _null_ | ᳺ Sign Double Anusvara Antargomukha | |`U+1CFB` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+1CFC` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+1CFD` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+1CFE` | _unassigned_ | | | | |`U+1CFF` | _unassigned_ | | | | ::: ## Miscellaneous character table ## In addition to general punctuation, runs of Bengali text often use the danda (`U+0964`) and double danda (`U+0965`) punctuation marks from the Devanagari block. Bengali text can also incorporate the udatta (`U+0951`) and anudatta (`U+0952`) signs from the Devanagari block. :::{table} Additional punctuation character table | Codepoint | Unicode category | Shaping class | Mark-placement subclass | Glyph | |:----------|:-----------------|:------------------|:---------------------------|:-------------------------------| |`U+0951` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | TOP_POSITION | ॑ Udatta | |`U+0952` | Mark [Mn] | CANTILLATION | BOTTOM_POSITION | ॒ Anudatta | |`U+0964` | Punctuation | _null_ | _null_ | । Danda | |`U+0965` | Punctuation | _null_ | _null_ | ॥ Double Danda | ::: Other important characters that may be encountered when shaping runs of Bengali text include the dotted-circle placeholder (`U+25CC`), the zero-width joiner (`U+200D`) and zero-width non-joiner (`U+200C`), and the no-break space (`U+00A0`). The dotted-circle placeholder is frequently used when displaying a dependent vowel (matra) or a combining mark in isolation. Real-world text syllables may also use other characters, such as hyphens or dashes, in a similar placeholder fashion; shaping engines should cope with this situation gracefully. :::{table} Miscellaneous character table | Codepoint | Unicode category | Shaping class | Mark-placement subclass | Glyph | |:----------|:-----------------|:------------------|:---------------------------|:-------------------------------| |`U+00A0` | Separator | PLACEHOLDER | _null_ |   No-break space | |`U+200C` | Other | NON_JOINER | _null_ | ‌ Zero-width non-joiner | |`U+200D` | Other | JOINER | _null_ | ‍ Zero-width joiner | |`U+2010` | Punctuation | PLACEHOLDER | _null_ | ‐ Hyphen | |`U+2011` | Punctuation | PLACEHOLDER | _null_ | ‑ No-break hyphen | |`U+2012` | Punctuation | PLACEHOLDER | _null_ | ‒ Figure dash | |`U+2013` | Punctuation | PLACEHOLDER | _null_ | – En dash | |`U+2014` | Punctuation | PLACEHOLDER | _null_ | — Em dash | |`U+25CC` | Symbol | DOTTED_CIRCLE | _null_ | ◌ Dotted circle | ::: The zero-width joiner (ZWJ) is primarily used to prevent the formation of a conjunct from a "_Consonant_,Halant,_Consonant_" sequence. The sequence "_Consonant_,Halant,ZWJ,_Consonant_" blocks the formation of a conjunct between the two consonants. Note, however, that the "_Consonant_,Halant" subsequence in the above example may still trigger a half-forms feature. To prevent the application of the half-forms feature in addition to preventing the conjunct, the zero-width non-joiner (ZWNJ) must be used instead. The sequence "_Consonant_,Halant,ZWNJ,_Consonant_" should produce the first consonant in its standard form, followed by an explicit "Halant". A secondary usage of the zero-width joiner is to prevent the formation of "Reph". An initial "Ra,Halant,ZWJ" sequence should not produce a "Reph", where an initial "Ra,Halant" sequence without the zero-width joiner otherwise would. The no-break space (NBSP) is primarily used to display those codepoints that are defined as non-spacing (marks, dependent vowels (matras), below-base consonant forms, and post-base consonant forms) in an isolated context, as an alternative to displaying them superimposed on the dotted-circle placeholder. These sequences will match "NBSP,ZWJ,Halant,_Consonant_", "NBSP,_mark_", or "NBSP,_matra_".