Yi syllable Hnat

ꅰ represents the Liangshan Yi syllable named hnat.

Hnat is the standard romanized label, not an English translation. This glyph belongs to the standardized syllabary for the Liangshan variety of Yi, also known as Nuosu, where each sign represents one spoken syllable. A word-level translation depends on the Yi word or sentence around it.

Older Yi writing used regional signs for words or ideas; forms varied by locality. Though some signs resemble Chinese characters, they appear not to derive from Han characters. Bimo (ritual specialists) copied manuscripts of rites, origin stories, genealogies and local knowledge. The earliest surviving Yi inscription is on a bronze bell dated 1485; that date belongs to the inscription, not ꅰ. The standardized Liangshan form was devised in 1974 and promulgated in 1980 to improve literacy, bringing the script into school, print and administrative use. It adapts older Yi writing but serves Liangshan Yi, not every Yi language or script.

Why does ꅰ look different?

A Yi-capable font is needed to render ꅰ.

Without a supporting font, software may show a box or replacement mark. Older regional Yi writing could run in different directions; standardized Liangshan text normally runs left to right.

A Liangshan Yi input method accepts syllable sounds and lets you select among candidate characters. Unicode hex entry for U+A170 is another option if your editor supports it.