Yi Syllable Hlat

By itself, ꆞ has no full word translation. In standardized Liangshan/Nuosu writing, it is romanized hlat: start with a whispered l, add an open a, and keep the pitch high and even. The final t marks tone; it is not a final t sound. Translate it with the surrounding Yi syllables.

When does Yi writing first appear?

The oldest securely dated surviving inscription is from 1485. It is on a bronze bell; paper Yi texts survive from around 1500. These are surviving examples, not a proven start date. A traditional account credits Aki, a legendary figure associated with China's Tang dynasty, with creating Yi writing.

Traditional Yi writing varied by region; village priests passed down religious, magical, medical, genealogical, historical and astrological texts locally. The modern Liangshan standard was devised in 1974 and officially promulgated in 1980 to support literacy and schooling.

Is Yi writing the same as Naxi writing?

No; they are separate writing traditions. Yi and Naxi writing belong to the same broad region of southwestern China, but Naxi's Dongba and Geba traditions are not alternate spellings of ꆞ. A linguistic relationship between Yi and Naxi does not give this syllable a Naxi reading.

Traditional Yi writing also had local forms with different glyph shapes and readings. This character belongs to standardized Liangshan/Nuosu Yi, so its value should not be carried over to every older or regional manuscript.