noun
kana ligature
A historical typographic abbreviation in which two or more kana characters are combined into a single glyph, used in pre-modern Japanese printing and calligraphy.
江戸時代の版本には合略仮名がよく見られる。
Kana ligatures are often seen in Edo-period woodblock-printed books.
「より」を表す合略
The kana ligature representing 'yori' is hardly used today.