writing system
Letters and rules
A writing system is a method for visually recording language using symbols—letters, characters, or other marks.
Alphabets like Latin or Cyrillic represent individual sounds; syllabaries like Japanese kana represent syllables; logographic systems like Chinese represent words or morphemes.
English uses an alphabetic writing system with 26 letters.
The term also covers punctuation, spacing conventions, and directional rules that govern how text appears on a page.
Language's letter system
- syllabaryWriting using sound-units
- logographyWriting system using word-symbols
- pictographyWriting using pictures
- cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
hieroglyphics · kanji · hanzi · runic
Minimal written symbol unit
- glyphVisual form of character
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- letterWritten symbol or message
- symbolRepresentational mark or sign
logogram · ideogram · pictogram · phonogram · radical · diacritic · ligature · punctuation
Stylus-impressed ancient script
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
- oracle bonesInscribed Shang divination remains
- PhoenicianAncient Lebanese seafarer
- papyrusAncient plant-derived writing material
clay tablet · inscription · palimpsest · codex · manuscript · scroll · Rosetta Stone · decipherment
Standard writing conventions
- phoneticsStudy of speech sounds
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
- transcriptionWritten version of speech
transliteration · romanization · IPA · spelling · encoding · standardization · reform · digraph
Skill of forming letters
flourish · manuscript · lettering · copperplate · italic · blackletter · Chinese calligraphy · Arabic calligraphy
Electronic character encoding standard
- UTF-8Character encoding standard
- fontCharacter style set
- typefaceLettering style design
- input methodMeans of entering text
keyboard layout · text processing · OCR · emoji · character set · localization · OpenType · TrueType
alphabet
Language's letter system
- syllabaryWriting using sound-units
- logographyWriting system using word-symbols
- pictographyWriting using pictures
cuneiform · hieroglyphics · kanji · hanzi · runic
grapheme
Minimal written symbol unit
symbol · logogram · ideogram · pictogram · phonogram · radical · diacritic · ligature · punctuation · consonant
cuneiform
Stylus-impressed ancient script
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
- oracle bonesInscribed Shang divination remains
- PhoenicianAncient Lebanese seafarer
papyrus · clay tablet · inscription · palimpsest · codex · manuscript · scroll · Rosetta Stone · decipherment · epigraphy
orthography
Standard writing conventions
- phoneticsStudy of speech sounds
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
transcription · transliteration · romanization · IPA · spelling · encoding · standardization · reform · digraph · trigraph
penmanship
Skill of forming letters
quill · flourish · manuscript · lettering · copperplate · italic · blackletter · Chinese calligraphy · Arabic calligraphy · illumination
ASCII
Electronic character encoding standard
input method · keyboard layout · text processing · OCR · emoji · character set · localization · OpenType · TrueType
- Arabic linguisticsverb conjugation, verb forms, Arabic alphabet, diglossia, nunation
- Japanese linguisticskanji, hiragana, katakana, kana, syllabary
- Korean linguisticsalphabet, consonants, vowels, syllables, orthography
- Baatonumexpressions, greetings, phrases, speakers
- Korean grammarverb conjugation, conjugations, verb endings, tense, tenses
- systemsecosystems, ecosystem, biological systems, transportation network, communication systems
writing systemspoken language
Audible verbal communication system
speech · oral tradition · verbal communication · orality · spoken word
writing systemilliteracy
Inability to read
unwritten language · oral culture · orality · analphabetism · preliteracy
write, writer, writing, system, written, wrote, handwriting, rewrite, writers