What 𛉿 means
It writes a Jiangyong-dialect syllable, not a complete word.
Nüshu writes local Chinese speech rather than a separate spoken language. One written syllable can stand for different words that sound alike, so the surrounding text supplies the reading.
Was Nüshu a secret code?
Not simply: its writing was also sung and shared among women.
In Jiangyong, Hunan, women used slanted forms derived from Chinese characters to write their local speech. They wrote songs and letters between sworn sisters (women who pledged friendship). UNESCO’s 2018 account describes “third-day” wedding booklets of good wishes, given to a bride three days after her wedding.
A 2004 ethnography records competing accounts of the script’s beginnings. UNESCO identifies a bronze coin from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851–1864) as the earliest known Nüshu artifact. In 2025, UNESCO described organized preservation and revival efforts, presenting Nüshu as cultural heritage as well as a local writing tradition.
A written syllable whose word depends on its local-language context.
Don’t treat 𛉿 alone as a whole message or Nüshu as a secret cipher.
Part of the collection
Who writes 𛉿
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Questions people ask
1Why does 𛉿 appear as a box?
The font or app may lack Nüshu glyph coverage. Choose a font that includes this writing system; the character itself has not changed.
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How to type or find 𛉿
- Search it as
- nüshu · nushu · nyushu · 女书 · 女書
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𛉿\1B27F𛉿; the browser renders 𛉿.Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.