Yi syllable dur

It is the Nuosu Yi syllable written dur.

A syllable is a beat of speech. Yi writing uses a character for each syllable, but a syllable can belong to different words, so the surrounding Yi word supplies its meaning. In the standard spelling with Latin letters, dur has a level mid tone—the voice stays at one pitch. Adding x, as in durx, marks a higher or rising tone.

The Yi writing tradition is older than the Liangshan standard. A bronze-bell inscription dated 1485 is cited as the earliest surviving example; surviving paper texts date to around 1500. Historically, village bimo—Yi ritual specialists—copied traditional forms for religious, magical, medical and family-history texts. The Liangshan standard was devised in 1974 and promulgated in 1980 to support literacy. It continues local and older Yi traditions, but does not cover every Yi variety. Those earlier forms appear distinct from Han (Chinese) writing rather than direct derivatives.

How do you type ꄙ?

Use a Yi input method and select the matching character.

On Windows, add the Yi input method (IME), type dur, then choose the matching character; Enter or Space accepts it. The IME turns a typed syllable spelling into Yi character candidates. This workflow is documented as of 2026-09-12; other Yi keyboard layouts use different keystrokes.