Cherokee syllabary
Native American writing
A writing system for the Cherokee language, developed in the early 19th century by Sequoyah.
Unlike an alphabet, where symbols represent individual sounds, a syllabary uses symbols for whole syllables—each character stands for a consonant-vowel combination.
The Cherokee syllabary contains 85 characters and enabled widespread literacy among Cherokee people within years of its introduction.
Persons in a narrative
- glyphsCarved symbolic figures
- symbolsMarks conveying meaning
- phoneticRelating to speech sounds
- syllablesUnits of pronunciation
transcription · orthography · handwriting · calligraphy · inscription · typeface · font · typography
Creator of original devices
- SequoyahCherokee literacy pioneer
- geniusPerson of rare brilliance
- autodidactOne who teaches themselves
- literacyAbility to read, write
creation · innovation · legacy · bilingualism · education · transmission · preservation · documentation
Social group sharing ancestry
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
culture · tradition · oral history · storytelling · elder · treaty · Trail of Tears · reservation
characters
Persons in a narrative
syllables · transcription · orthography · handwriting · calligraphy · inscription · typeface · font · typography · printing press
inventor
Creator of original devices
- SequoyahCherokee literacy pioneer
- geniusPerson of rare brilliance
- autodidactOne who teaches themselves
literacy · creation · innovation · legacy · bilingualism · education · transmission · preservation · documentation · silversmith
tribe
Social group sharing ancestry
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
ancestry · culture · tradition · oral history · storytelling · elder · treaty · Trail of Tears · reservation · sovereignty
- CherokeeSequoyah, Trail of Tears, clan mothers, stickball, traditional songs
- writing systemsalphabet, vowel, alphabets, Cyrillic alphabet, consonant
- Native LanguagesNavajo, Maori, Hawaiian, Gaelic, Welsh
- Southeastern tribesChickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, Natchez, Alabama
- Indigenous WritingMayan glyphs, codices, hieroglyphs, hieroglyphics, glyphs
- Native AmericansApache, Navajo, Sioux, Mohawk, Iroquois
Cherokee syllabaryLatin alphabet
Standard Western letter system
Greek alphabet · Chinese characters · cuneiform · alphabet · Roman alphabet