Garshuni or Karshuni (Syriac alphabet: , Arabic alphabet: ) are non-Syriac writings using the Syriac alphabet, most often being Arabic. The word "Garshuni", derived from the word "grasha" which literally translates as "pulling", was used by George Kiraz to coin the term "garshunography", denoting the writing of one language in the script of another.
History
Garshuni originated in the seventh century, when Arabic was becoming the dominant spoken language in the Fertile Crescent, but the Arabic alphabet was not yet fully developed. There is evidence that writing Arabic in Garshuni influenced the style of modern Arabic script. After this initial period, Garshuni writing has continued to the present day among some Syriac Christian communities in the Arabic-speaking regions of the Levant and Mesopotamia, who commonly use the Sertā script.
A folk etymology traces the origins of the word to the prophet Moses, being related to "Gershon" from Exodus 2:22, or to a certain Carsciun.