Bopomofo letter s

It marks the s initial in Mandarin Zhuyin. It is a sound cue, not a word with its own meaning. A final and tone complete the syllable; in sī, ㄙ can stand alone because the extra vowel symbol is normally left out.

The first Bopomofo system was created in 1913 and released in 1918 to help teach pronunciation by marking syllable beginnings, endings, and tones. Its symbols drew on simplified Chinese-character forms and Chinese historical phonology.

ㄙ takes its shape from 厶, a historical form of 私, and its sound from 私’s initial. This is a real character connection, not just a resemblance.

How do I type ㄙ with Zhuyin?

A Zhuyin spelling puts the initial first, followed by any medial or final and then the tone mark. For example, ㄙㄨˋ spells the sù reading; the tone mark is part of the syllable.

On Taiwan’s standard desktop Zhuyin layout, N enters ㄙ. To get a Chinese-character candidate, continue with the rest of the syllable and choose the intended result.

Someone sent me ㄙ—how should I read it?

Treat it as a sound cue, not a complete word. A 2003 study of Taiwan-based online writing described Zhuyin shorthand that replaced some Chinese characters; a lone initial can leave the final and tone unstated.

Readers familiar with Zhuyin may recover the intended syllable from context. To someone expecting complete Chinese-character writing, the shorthand can feel playful or childlike. In a formal message or with an unfamiliar recipient, use the Chinese character or the full Zhuyin syllable.