Yi syllable hmot

It writes a Yi syllable in the Liangshan/Nuosu standard. ꂟ is the syllabic sign conventionally transcribed in Latin letters as hmot. Read it within a Yi word; the word supplies its meaning.

Yi writing has long-standing regional traditions. The earliest securely dated surviving examples are inscriptions on the Chenghua Bell from 1485. Older examples on stone, bronze, pottery, and bone are also reported, but their relationship to later Yi forms is debated. Bimo, Yi ritual specialists, used traditional writing in ritual, genealogical, medical, historical, and divinatory texts. Traditional Yi ideographs appear to have developed independently of Han Chinese writing. Naxi, Shui, and Bashu were neighboring writing traditions, not established ancestors.

The modern standard was devised in 1974 and officially promulgated in 1980 to represent Liangshan Yi consistently and support literacy. Older traditions varied by region and often used ideographs, signs tied to words or meanings; this standard is phonetic, with signs representing spoken syllables.

Font support decides how ꂟ appears

A Yi-capable font draws the glyph. A font without it may show a missing-glyph box or a fallback shape. The box means the font lacks this Yi character; it is not the character’s intended form.

Typing the Latin letters hmot in a plain text field will not reliably select ꂟ. Use a Yi keyboard or input method that supports the Liangshan syllables or maps their Latin-letter spellings; the exact setup depends on your device.

Who can read ꂟ?

The standard is for the Liangshan variety of Nuosu Yi. Other Yi regions have different writing traditions, syllable inventories, and sound values, so knowing one tradition does not guarantee a reading of this one.

If someone sends ꂟ by itself, ask for the surrounding Yi word or sentence. A lone syllable does not identify a complete word.