Nüshu syllable sign

𛋴 marks the Jiangyong Chinese syllable “tshai44”; context selects the word. Nüshu (“women’s writing”) adapted Chinese-character shapes for women’s letters, songs, and life stories in Hunan, China, when women had limited access to literacy. Its earliest known artifact is a coin from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, a rebel state (1851–1864). In the 1980s, some media called it a secret language, while men familiar with the dialect could understand it when spoken.