Yi syllable Vi

ꃤ writes the Nuosu Yi syllable “vi.”

Nuosu is a Yi language spoken in Liangshan, southwest China; this syllable contributes to Yi words, whose reading depends on surrounding syllables.

Liangshan romanization, also called Yi Pinyin, uses Latin letters for Yi syllables: plain vi has a steady mid-level pitch, while vit, vix, and vip mark other tones.

How did Yi writing develop?

Yi writing grew through regional traditions over centuries.

Its origins are debated. Proposed Western Han objects may be early evidence, while a bronze bell dated 1485 is the earliest surviving monumental example identified in the historical record.

Bimo, Yi ritual specialists, passed on regional forms used in religious, medical, genealogical, and historical writing; variants were in use across Yunnan and Guizhou by the Ming dynasty. A Liangshan standard was devised in 1974 and promulgated in 1980 to support literacy in one dialect. Cuan and Wei are related Yi writing traditions; Yi graphs represent syllables, not Han characters.

How do you type ꃤ?

Use a Yi keyboard or hexadecimal Unicode input.

SIL Yi Keyboard 2.0 for desktop converts v, then i, then Space to ꃤ. On mobile Yi layouts with this mapping, choose v, then the unmarked i vowel/tone key.

As of 2026, Noto Sans Yi and Nuosu SIL include Yi font coverage. A box means the active font lacks this character; its design can vary between fonts.