Manchu Script
OriginChina
Earliest1599
TypeAlphabet
About Manchu Script
Adapted from the Mongolian script for the Manchu founders of the Qing dynasty. Written vertically in columns from top to bottom. Dots and circles were added to distinguish sounds Mongolian lacked. Produced a huge imperial archive, including the Veritable Records of each reign. By the 19th century most Manchus could no longer read it, and today only a handful of scholars can.
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