Yi syllable i

Yi Pinyin writes it as i, with a steady mid-level tone. Liangshan Yi, also called Nuosu, is a Yi language variety. By itself, this one written syllable does not give a dependable whole-word translation; the surrounding Yi text supplies its role.

A bronze-bell inscription dated 1485 is generally cited as the earliest securely surviving Yi writing. Earlier stone, bronze, pottery, and bone examples have been proposed, but their interpretation is debated. Some Yi origin traditions credit a named figure with creating a large body of writing; those stories do not date ꀂ itself.

Traditional Yi writing had regional forms, called Classical Yi, Cuan, or Wei in different contexts. Bimo—Yi ritual specialists—preserved and used them in ritual, magical, medical, and family-record texts. The modern Liangshan standard draws on older Northern Yi forms; it was devised in 1974 and officially promulgated in 1980. It is used in schools, newspapers, fiction, public notices, and video subtitles. This standard covers Liangshan/Nuosu, not every Yi language.

Why doesn't ꀂ display?

A missing-glyph box means your font lacks a glyph for ꀂ.

ꀂ is text, so its visible shape comes from the active font. Choose a font with Yi Syllables coverage if it appears as a square. Standardized Yi text runs left to right, and neighboring characters remain separate syllable signs rather than merging into a larger glyph.