SCRIPTA
IFront MatterIIIThe LettersVMechanicsVILineageVIIIn the World
I

Front Matter

Vai

Syllabary created in 1833 by Momolu Duwalu Bukele in Liberia, reportedly revealed in a dream — one of the oldest modern scripts independently invented in West Africa.

ꔀ ꔁ ꔂ ꔃ ꔄ ꔅ ꔆ ꔇ
Era
Modern
Region
Africa
System
Syllabary
Direction
Left to Right (LTR)
Signs
300
Status
Active
Syllabary created in 1833 by Momolu Duwalu Bukele in Liberia, reportedly revealed in a dream — one of the oldest modern scripts independently invented in West Africa. Composed of ~200 syllabic signs, it is still used in Liberia today. Composed of about 200 syllabic signs; the inventor Momolu Duwalu Bukele is widely believed to have been of slave origin. Added to Unicode in the 21st century, it has regained attention as a marker of the Vai cultural identity in Liberia.
III

The Letters

Signs · Unicode · Types
Sample GlyphsClick to copy
Unicode
Range 1U+A500–U+A63F
Total signs300
In Unicode300
Unicode Blocks
Vai
A500 – A63F
300 chars→
Glyph evolution
Form change over time
Loading evolution data…
V

Reading Mechanics

Direction · Method
↔
Direction
Left to Right (LTR)
왼쪽에서 오른쪽으로 표기.
α
System
Syllabary
⌨
Input method
Direct Unicode input
Keyboard layout
Standard IME · input chart
Keyboard layout data not yet available.
VI

The Lineage

Family · Descendants
Phylogeny
Descendants of hieroglyphs
Related scripts
Ancestors · Descendants · Family
VII

In the World

Usage · Reach

Languages

Vai

Countries

Liberia