Nüshu syllable vwe5

𛆵 writes the Jiangyong syllable vwe5 in Nüshu, a women's script. Historically, Nüshu carried women's letters, songs, and wedding wishes. One syllable sign can represent several words.

Text symbol

What 𛆵 means

It records sound, so context supplies the word.

Nüshu signs record spoken syllables. Its Jiangyong pronunciation is written in Latin letters as vwe5.

How did Nüshu's role change?

In Jiangyong, Hunan, women adapted Chinese-character forms to write local speech; many then had little schooling. Historically, women who pledged sisterhood exchanged letters and poems; brides received wishes three days after the wedding.

Researchers at Tsinghua University trace some transmitted texts to late Ming–early Qing versions. A 2018 account from UNESCO, the UN's education and culture agency, identifies the earliest known Nüshu artefact as a coin from 1851–1864, inscribed “all women are one family.”

First documented in a 1933 Hunan survey, Nüshu was being revived by 2018.

Part of the collection

𛅰

Nüshu Script (Women's Writing)

Who writes 𛆵

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Questions people ask

Why does 𛆵 show as a box on some devices?

Not every system ships a font for the Nushu block. Where none is installed, the character shows as an empty box; adding a font such as Noto fixes it. The character itself is still correct and copies correctly.