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{{Short description|Punctuation mark in Indic scripts}}
{{Short description|Punctuation mark in Indic scripts}}
{{about|the Brahmic punctuation character||Danda (disambiguation)}}
{{about|the Brahmic punctuation character||Danda (disambiguation)}}
{{singlesource|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox punctuation mark
 
| mark    = ।
| name    = Daṇḍa
| unicode = {{unichar|0964}}
}}
In [[Indic scripts]], the '''daṇḍa''' ([[Sanskrit]]: दण्ड ''{{IAST|daṇḍa}}'' "stick"){{efn|Other terms used in various languages for variants of daṇḍa include ''kaan'' (or ''khan''), ''shad'' (or ''shya''), ''carik siki'' (doubled to ''carik pareren''), ''ta-rol'', ''mucaad'', [[Javanese script#Punctuation|''pada lingsa'']] (doubled to ''pada lungsi'') and ''section (mark)''.<ref name="utn33"/>}} is a [[punctuation]] mark.<ref name=Ruppel>{{cite book
In [[Indic scripts]], the '''daṇḍa''' ([[Sanskrit]]: दण्ड ''{{IAST|daṇḍa}}'' "stick"){{efn|Other terms used in various languages for variants of daṇḍa include ''kaan'' (or ''khan''), ''shad'' (or ''shya''), ''carik siki'' (doubled to ''carik pareren''), ''ta-rol'', ''mucaad'', [[Javanese script#Punctuation|''pada lingsa'']] (doubled to ''pada lungsi'') and ''section (mark)''.<ref name="utn33"/>}} is a [[punctuation]] mark.<ref name=Ruppel>{{cite book
  | last = A.M.
  | last = A.M.
Line 13: Line 16:
  | language = English
  | language = English
  | isbn = 978-1107088283
  | isbn = 978-1107088283
}}</ref> The [[glyph]] consists of a single vertical stroke.  
}}</ref> The [[grapheme]] consists of a single vertical stroke.  


== Use ==
== Use ==
The daṇḍa marks the end of a sentence or line, comparable to a [[full stop]] (period) as commonly used in the [[Latin alphabet]], and is used together with Western punctuation in most modern [[Languages of India|Indic]] languages.{{cn|date=November 2019}}
The daṇḍa marks the end of a sentence or line, comparable to a [[full stop]] (period) as commonly used in the [[Latin alphabet]], and is used together with Western punctuation in Hindi and Nepali.


The daṇḍa and double daṇḍa are the only punctuation used in Sanskrit texts.<ref name=Ruppel/> No distinct punctuation is used to mark questions or exclamations, which must be inferred from other aspects of the sentence.<ref name=Ruppel/>  
The daṇḍa and double daṇḍa are the only punctuation used in Sanskrit texts.<ref name=Ruppel/> No distinct punctuation is used to mark questions or exclamations, which must be inferred from other aspects of the sentence.<ref name=Ruppel/>  
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== Computer encoding ==
== Computer encoding ==
The [[Devanagari]] character can be found at [[character encoding|code point]] U+0964 ({{script|Deva|।}}) in [[Unicode]]. The "double daṇḍa" is at U+0965 ({{script|Deva|॥}}). The Unicode standard recommends using this character also in other [[Indic scripts]], like Bengali, Telugu, Oriya, and others.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode13.0.0/UnicodeStandard-13.0.pdf|title=The Unicode® Standard Version 13.0 – Core Specification|publisher=The Unicode Consortium|year=2020|isbn=978-1-936213-26-9|location=Mountain View, CA|pages=278|access-date=2020-11-26|archive-date=2020-10-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005161924/https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode13.0.0/UnicodeStandard-13.0.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Encoding it separately for every Indic script was proposed,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Public Review Issue #59|url=https://www.unicode.org/review/pr-59.html|access-date=2020-11-26|website=www.unicode.org|archive-date=2019-12-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230030228/http://unicode.org/review/pr-59.html|url-status=live}}</ref> but as of 2020, this proposal has not been implemented.
[[Unicode]] encodes the daṇḍas as {{unichar|0964}} and {{unichar|0965}}. The Unicode standard recommends using this character also in other [[Indic scripts]], like Bengali, Telugu, Oriya, and others.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode13.0.0/UnicodeStandard-13.0.pdf|title=The Unicode® Standard Version 13.0 – Core Specification|publisher=The Unicode Consortium|year=2020|isbn=978-1-936213-26-9|location=Mountain View, CA|pages=278|access-date=2020-11-26|archive-date=2020-10-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005161924/https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode13.0.0/UnicodeStandard-13.0.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Encoding it separately for every Indic script was proposed,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Public Review Issue #59|url=https://www.unicode.org/review/pr-59.html|access-date=2020-11-26|website=www.unicode.org|archive-date=2019-12-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230030228/http://unicode.org/review/pr-59.html|url-status=live}}</ref> but has been accepted. (The graphemes for x0964 and x0965 can be implemented in a [[computer font]] with a [[glyph]] design that matches the conventional style for those languages.)


Danda and similar characters are encoded separately for some scripts in which its appearance or use is significantly different from the Devangari one.<ref name="utn33">{{Cite web|title=UTN #33: Dandas and More Dandas|url=https://www.unicode.org/notes/tn33/|access-date=2020-11-26|website=www.unicode.org|archive-date=2019-12-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229162004/http://www.unicode.org/notes/tn33/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Danda and similar characters are encoded separately for some scripts in which its appearance or use is significantly different from the Devanagari one. These include forms with adornments, such as the [[Rgya Gram Shad]].<ref name="utn33">{{Cite web|title=UTN #33: Dandas and More Dandas|url=https://www.unicode.org/notes/tn33/|access-date=2020-11-26|website=www.unicode.org|archive-date=2019-12-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229162004/http://www.unicode.org/notes/tn33/|url-status=live}}</ref>


[[ISCII]] encodes daṇḍa at 0xEA.
[[ISCII]] encoded daṇḍa at 0xEA.  


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Vertical bar]]
* {{anl|Vertical bar}}, {{char|{{!}}}}
* {{anl|Pilcrow}}, the latin character-set equivalent of the double daṇḍa


==Footnotes==
==Footnotes==
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[[Category:Devanagari]]
[[Category:Devanagari]]
[[Category:Grammar]]
[[Category:Grammar]]
[[Category:Semiotics]]
[[Category:Syntax]]
[[Category:Syntax]]
[[Category:Punctuation]]
[[Category:Punctuation]]
{{Writingsystem-stub}}
{{semiotics-stub}}

Latest revision as of 21:33, 16 January 2026


Daṇḍa
U+0964

In Indic scripts, the daṇḍa (Sanskrit: दण्ड daṇḍa "stick")[lower-alpha 1] is a punctuation mark.[2] The grapheme consists of a single vertical stroke.

Use[edit | edit source]

The daṇḍa marks the end of a sentence or line, comparable to a full stop (period) as commonly used in the Latin alphabet, and is used together with Western punctuation in Hindi and Nepali.

The daṇḍa and double daṇḍa are the only punctuation used in Sanskrit texts.[2] No distinct punctuation is used to mark questions or exclamations, which must be inferred from other aspects of the sentence.[2]

In metrical texts, a double daṇḍa is used to delimit verses, and a single daṇḍa to delimit a pada, line, or semi-verse. In prose, the double daṇḍa is used to mark the end of a paragraph, a story, or section.[2]

Computer encoding[edit | edit source]

Unicode encodes the daṇḍas as U+0964 and U+0965 . The Unicode standard recommends using this character also in other Indic scripts, like Bengali, Telugu, Oriya, and others.[3] Encoding it separately for every Indic script was proposed,[4] but has been accepted. (The graphemes for x0964 and x0965 can be implemented in a computer font with a glyph design that matches the conventional style for those languages.)

Danda and similar characters are encoded separately for some scripts in which its appearance or use is significantly different from the Devanagari one. These include forms with adornments, such as the Rgya Gram Shad.[1]

ISCII encoded daṇḍa at 0xEA.

See also[edit | edit source]

Footnotes[edit | edit source]

  1. Other terms used in various languages for variants of daṇḍa include kaan (or khan), shad (or shya), carik siki (doubled to carik pareren), ta-rol, mucaad, pada lingsa (doubled to pada lungsi) and section (mark).[1]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "UTN #33: Dandas and More Dandas". www.unicode.org. Archived from the original on 2019-12-29. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 A.M., Ruppel (2017). The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-1107088283.
  3. The Unicode® Standard Version 13.0 – Core Specification (PDF). Mountain View, CA: The Unicode Consortium. 2020. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-936213-26-9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  4. "Public Review Issue #59". www.unicode.org. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2020-11-26.

External links[edit | edit source]