Question

Do some Devanagari letters appear similar to Brahmi? Are there any that seem different?

Answer 1

• Letters that appear similar: The Brahmi letter for “ga” (looks like an inverted ‘V’ or ^) is highly similar to the left-hand component of the modern Devanagari ग. Similarly, the Brahmi letter for “ya” (looks like a three-pronged fork) evolved directly into the curved base of the modern Devanagari य.
• Letters that seem completely different: The Brahmi letter for “ka” looks exactly like a simple plus sign (+), which looks nothing like the loop and tail of the modern Devanagari क. Likewise, the Brahmi letter for “ma” (which looks like a circle sitting inside a horseshoe U) has changed radically over thousands of years to become the modern म.