# ZA

> Linear A syllabic ZA, conventional: za.

A page of the Linear A Lexicon's research wiki, in [Wiki](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/index.md>) › [Kaphtor Lexicon](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/lexicon/index.md>) › [Signs](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/lexicon/signs/index.md>) › [Syllabic signs](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/lexicon/signs/syllabic/index.md>). Updated 2026-10-24.

**Status: conventional.** The conventional value carried over from Linear B.

## Phonetic value

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Value | /za/ |
| Alternates | /sa/, /ṣa/, /ša/, /ṯa/, /ḏa/ |
| Linear B | B 17, value za |
| Linear B Unicode | U+1003C LINEAR B SYLLABLE B017 ZA |
| Neutralization class | S |

### Alternate values

| Value | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| /sa/ |  | Second value of the same sign, not a rival: ME-ZA massu, MA-ZA mazza, U-\*325-ZA ʾubūs, MI-ZA-SE, O-KA-MI-ZA-SI-I-NA Ukammis-Sîn. Cuneiform ZA writes ṣa, za, sà (Huehnergard 2011, 574); at Ugarit Z-signs write z, s and ṣ (Huehnergard 2008, 199) |
| /ṣa/ |  | Second value of the same sign: one cuneiform sign writes za and ṣa (Huehnergard 2011, 2; 574); Ugarit ZA writes ṣ (Huehnergard 2008, 199) |
| /ša/ |  | Second value of the same sign: the S-class sibilants share signs, as SA writes s and š; one letter writes š and ś in Hebrew (Steiner 1997, 148) |
| /ṯa/ |  | Second value of the same sign: U-DE-ZA Ḥudaṯu (Ugar. PN ḥdṯ, DULAT 351). The Z-row writes ṯ, as ZU does; sibilant signs write Ugaritic ṯ, ḥdθn = ḫu-ud!-ša-nu (Huehnergard 2008, 230); ṯ merged with š in Phoenician (Huehnergard 2012, 20; Steiner 1997, 147) |
| /ḏa/ |  | Second value of the same sign: ZA-TI zāt. Ugarit amḏy = ᵘʳᵘam-mi-ZA (Huehnergard 2008, 224); \*ḏ &gt; z in Akkadian and Hebrew (Huehnergard 2011, 587; Steiner 1997, 147) |

### Forms cited for the value

- Linear B projection

## Lexicon words written with this sign

| Word | Proposed reading | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| A-\*325-ZA | ʾabūs(a) | Candidate |
| A-DU-ZA | ʾAddu-ʿazz | Speculative |
| DU-RE-ZA-SE | turēṯa-se | Candidate |
| MA-TI-ZA-I-TE | Matiʿ-zayti | Speculative |
| MA-ZA | mazza | Speculative |
| ME-ZA | massu | Candidate |
| MI-ZA-SE | mizza-se | Speculative |
| O-KA-MI-ZA-SI-I-NA | Ukammis-Sîn | Speculative |
| RE-ZA | (ʾa)raz | Speculative |
| TA-SA-ZA | taḫsaz | Speculative |
| TA-TE-I-KE-ZA-RE | ṯāt ʾikezzer | Speculative |
| TU-MI-TI-ZA-SE | tumtiṣa-se | Speculative |
| U-\*325-ZA | ʾubūs(a) | Candidate |
| U-DE-ZA | Ḥudaṯu | Candidate |
| ZA-TI | zāt | Candidate |

## Linked from

- [Syllabic signs](<https://linear-a.ai/wiki/lexicon/signs/syllabic/index.md>)

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Page: https://linear-a.ai/wiki/lexicon/signs/syllabic/ZA/
Licence: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Cite as: di Mino, Tom. 2026. Linear A Lexicon. Plasma AI. https://linear-a.ai/. Data: kaphtor, commit add28e94.