Surat Batak is the traditional script used to write the Bataknese languages of North Sumatra. In the English alphabet, a letter represents any sound (vowel or consonant). By contrast, Surat Batak is an abugida: each letter represents a syllable, with one consonant + one vowel.

Each letter has the "A" vowel by default. We can change the vowel by attaching an accent mark, called Anak Si Surat. For example: ᯖ on its own is read as "ta", but if we write ᯖᯬ it becomes "to", and ᯖᯪ makes it "ti".

When you're ready: — Using the cards above, try to understand this word written in Surat Batak: