Yi syllable kap

It names one Liangshan Yi syllable; context supplies the word meaning. Its standard romanization uses Latin letters: kap, with final p marking a low-falling tone. In the documented Liangshan phrase ꈂꑷ, the two syllables together mean “pot lid.”

The oldest reliably dated example of Yi writing is an inscription on a bronze bell from 1485; many traditional manuscripts are undated. Bi-mox, Yi ritual specialists, preserved manuscripts used for religious, magical, medical, and genealogical texts.

How did Yi writing become standardized?

A regional, variable writing tradition gained a Liangshan standard. Traditional Yi writing varied by region and included signs used for words or ideas, alongside alternate glyph shapes. It is a distinct Yi writing tradition; some older signs are ideographic, meaning they represent ideas or words, and differ from Chinese Han characters.

The standard was devised in 1974 and formally introduced in 1980 to widen literacy; it was used in literacy, rural-work, and adult-arithmetic textbooks. The Liangshan/Nuosu standard does not cover every Yi dialect or older regional script.