Yi Syllable Qyt

This Yi character writes one Liangshan Yi syllable. The spelling qyt follows the Liangshan romanization introduced in 1956. Its final t is a tone marker for high, level pitch, not an extra consonant. The label gives the reading, not a translation.

Traditional Yi writing, historically called Cuan or Wei, has many local forms. Its older signs appear not to derive directly from Chinese characters. The earliest surviving Yi script inscription is on a bronze bell dated 1485. One traditional origin story credits Aki with creating the script during China's Tang dynasty (618–907), long before that surviving example.

Village priests—local ritual specialists—passed down manuscripts in local forms, including religious, magical, medical, and family-history texts. To improve literacy, a standardized Liangshan syllabary was devised in 1974 and officially promulgated in 1980. It grew from the older repertoire but was designed for Liangshan Yi, not every Yi variety.