Yi syllable rrop

ꎃ is a written syllable in the Nuosu Yi tradition.

In Yi writing, ꎃ is the syllable transcribed in Latin letters as rrop in the Liangshan standard. That spelling labels a Yi syllable; it is not an English name. In Yiyu Pinyin, the final p marks a low-falling tone, not a final p sound. The surrounding Yi word and sentence give the syllable its meaning in context.

Yi writing developed through regional traditions. Some scholars place early Yi-related inscriptions in the Western Han period of Chinese history, though their identification and dating are debated; the earliest paper and parchment Yi texts documented in this tradition are from around 1500. Traditional texts were copied mainly by bimo, Yi ritual specialists, for religious, medical, and magical work. The Liangshan standard was devised in 1974 and officially promulgated in 1980 for official documents, newspapers, books, and literary works. It draws on older Northern Yi forms, while other regional traditions remain distinct.

Are all Yi scripts the same?

No; the Liangshan standard is one regional Yi tradition.

Across southwest China, Yi writing traditions differ in their glyph sets, sounds, punctuation, and page direction. Traditional Liangshan materials can run right to left, while materials from Guizhou and Yunnan can run top to bottom; the standardized form generally follows the page layout used for Chinese text. Someone trained in another Yi tradition may not recognize ꎃ, even though both traditions are called Yi.