Yi Syllable Ca

ꊸ is the Liangshan Yi syllable romanized ca. The unmarked ca tone sits at mid pitch. In this romanization, the final x in cax and p in cap mark different tones, so ꊷ and ꊹ are different syllables.

Possible Yi inscriptions on bronze and stone are discussed for the Western Han period, while surviving paper manuscripts date to around 1500. By the late Ming dynasty, regional Yi writing forms were in use across southwest China. Traditional texts served ritual, magical, medical, and genealogical work, copied through lineages of bimo, Yi ritual priests. The modern Liangshan standard was devised in 1974 and promulgated in 1980; it brought the syllabary into textbooks, literature, newspapers, and mother-tongue education. “Cuan script” is a historical label for some Yi writing, not evidence that this glyph is a Chinese character.

A full Yi phrase supplies the word-level meaning: ꊸꁆꑍ is an attested expression meaning “the day after tomorrow.” On its own, ꊸ identifies one syllable.

How do I type ꊸ?

Enter Yi syllables through a Yi input method. On Windows, type the syllable’s sound sequence with English-letter keys, then select the matching Yi candidate; Microsoft documents this Yi IME method as of 2024-06-20. In a hexadecimal Unicode editor, enter A2B8 and convert it; the shortcut depends on the app.