Nüshu character 𛉑

It marks a spoken syllable, not a complete word. A Nüshu reference table gives its Jiangyong pronunciation in roman letters as tsi42 and pairs it with Chinese characters such as 层, 蚕 and 齐; context selects the word.

Why did women write Nüshu?

It gave women a way to record local speech and their lives. Nüshu adapted Chinese-character forms for the local speech of Jiangyong County in Hunan, China. Women exchanged letters with friends they had chosen as sisters, wrote personal stories and songs, and sent sanzhaoshu—wedding wishes for a bride three days after marriage. Hunan survey notes from the 1930s are the earliest written reference.

A coin said to come from China's Taiping rebel state (1851–1864) is sometimes cited as Nüshu's oldest artifact. Its inscription is read as a message that women are one family, but scholars dispute the coin's authenticity, so it cannot securely date the script's origin.

By the early 2000s, cultural-heritage programs had brought Nüshu into staged public performances and teaching, adding a public role to its local women's writing tradition.