Sha as found in standard Brahmi, was a simple geometric shape, with variations toward more flowing forms by the Gupta .

The third form of sha, in Kharoshthi () was probably derived from Aramaic separately from the Brahmi letter.

The Brahmi letter , Sha, is probably derived from the Aramaic Shin , and is thus related to the modern Latin S and Greek Sigma.

[2] Several identifiable styles of writing the Brahmi Sha can be found, most associated with a specific set of inscriptions from an artifact or diverse records from an historic period.

The Kharoṣṭhī letter is generally accepted as being derived from the Aramaic Shin , and is thus related to S and Sigma, in addition to the Brahmi Sha.

Like all Indic scripts, Devanagari uses vowel marks attached to the base consonant to override the inherent /ə/ vowel: Devanagari exhibits conjunct ligatures, as is common in Indic scripts.

Some conjunct clusters are always represented by a true ligature, instead of a shape that can be broken into constituent independent letters.

Nepali and Marathi texts use the "eyelash" Ra half form for an initial "R" instead of repha.

Vertically stacked ligatures are the most common conjunct forms found in Devanagari text.

It is derived from the Devanagari Śa with the top bar (shiro rekha) removed, and ultimately the Brahmi letter .

Like all Indic scripts, Gujarati uses vowel marks attached to the base consonant to override the inherent /ə/ vowel: Gujarati શ exhibits conjunct ligatures, much like its parent Devanagari Script.

As is common in Indic scripts, Malayalam joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters.

As is common in Indic scripts, Odia joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters.

The most common conjunct formation is achieved by using a small subjoined form of trailing consonants.

The second type of conjunct formation is through pure ligatures, where the constituent consonants are written together in a single graphic form.

As is common in Indic scripts, Kaithi joins letters together to form conjunct consonant clusters.