China
10 scripts
Chinese Characters
Over 50,000 characters exist but literacy requires knowing only 3,000 to 4,000. The oldest...
Yi Script
Used by the Yi people of southwest China. Originally a logographic system with over 8,000 ...
Khitan Scripts
The writing of the Khitan people who ruled the Liao dynasty. Two systems existed: a large ...
Tangut Script
Invented by imperial command for the Tangut or Western Xia dynasty. Nearly 6,000 character...
Nushu
A script created and used exclusively by women of Jiangyong county in Hunan. Passed from m...
Bopomofo
The official phonetic alphabet of China, also called Zhuyin. 37 symbols derived from Chine...
Dongba Script
The pictographic writing of the Naxi people of Yunnan. About 1,400 picture signs depicting...
Phags-pa Script
A square script created by the Tibetan lama Phags-pa for Kublai Khan. Designed to write ev...
Manchu Script
Adapted from the Mongolian script for the Manchu founders of the Qing dynasty. Written ver...
Pollard Script
Devised by missionary Samuel Pollard for the A-Hmao or Big Flowery Miao language of Yunnan...