Yi syllable jjyt

In Nuosu, ꐭ writes a syllable; the word supplies its sense.

Nuosu is a Yi language. In the standardized Liangshan spelling, this syllable is written jjyt, with final t marking high-level tone. A Nuosu grammar lists jjyt with the gloss “short person.” That is a word translation within Nuosu, not a general English meaning carried by ꐭ alone.

Where did the Yi script come from?

Yi writing grew through regional traditions and later standardization.

A 15th-century bell inscription is the earliest securely dated evidence commonly cited for Yi writing. Claims of much earlier origins remain debated. By the early Ming period, different Yi communities had regional writing traditions. Traditional texts covered religious, magical, medical, and genealogical subjects and were passed on by village priests; they were not a shared everyday writing system across those communities.

The Liangshan syllabary was devised in 1974 and officially promulgated in 1980 to support literacy, publishing, and education. Earlier Yi writing was largely ideographic—many signs represented ideas or words—and varied by region. The Liangshan standard organized one traditional Yi lineage into a phonetic syllabary, where each sign writes a syllable, for Nuosu rather than every Yi language.

How do I type ꐭ?

Use a Yi input method, then select the matching candidate.

Microsoft's Windows Yi input instructions, updated 2024-06-20, say to switch the input method to Yi, enter the phonemes with ordinary English keyboard keys, then choose the matching character. Enter or Space accepts the first suggestion.