Kadamba script

Kadamba script
Script type	Abugida
Period	4–7th century CE[1]
Direction	Left-to-right
Languages	Kannada Telugu Sanskrit Konkani
Related scripts
Parent systems	Egyptian hieroglyphs Proto-Sinaitic Phoenician Aramaic Brahmi Kadamba script
Child systems	Kannada-Telugu alphabet, Goykanadi,[2] Pyu script[3]
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

The Kadamba script is the first writing system devised specifically for writing Kannada, and it was later adopted to write the Telugu language.^[4] The Kadamba script is also known as Pre-Old-Kannada script.

The Kadamba script is one of the oldest scripts of the southern group of writing systems that developed from the ancient Brahmi script. By the 5th century CE it became distinct from other Brahmi variants and was used in what are now the South Indian states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It evolved into the Kannada-Telugu script by the 10th century CE and was used to write the Kannada and Telugu languages.^[5] It is also distantly related to the Sinhala script.^[6]