High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Jawi (Jawi: J wi; Yawi in Pattani) is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. Jawi is one of the two official scripts in Brunei and Malaysia as the script for the Malay language. Usage wise, it was the standard script for the Malay language but has since been replaced by a Roman script called Rumi, and Jawi has since been relegated to a script used for religious and cultural purposes. Day-to-day usage of Jawi is maintained in more conservative Malay-populated areas such as Pattani in Thailand and Kelantan in Malaysia. The Jawi alphabet has existed since around 1300 CE in the Malay Archipelago. Its development is linked with the arrival of Islam, mainly from Persians. It was adapted to suit spoken classical Malay - it is written from right to left and has 6 sounds not found in Arabic: ca pa ga nga va and nya. Many Arabic characters are never used as they are not pronounced in Malay language, and some letters are neverjoined and some joined obligatorily so.