Script - Kayah Li

Kayah Li is a script used primarily for writing the Kayah language, spoken by the Karenni people in Myanmar and Thailand, with a notable community also in the United States. It consists of letters derived from a simplified, geometric style, designed in the 1960s by a Kayah teacher named Hta Bu Phae, to replace earlier missionary-based orthographies. The script includes thirty-three consonant letters, nine vowel symbols, and five tone marks, making it a complete system for the language’s tonal and syllabic structure. Its characters feature straight lines, angles, and small circular or hooked forms, which distinguish it visually from other Southeast Asian scripts. In digital text, Kayah Li is encoded for modern use, supporting the preservation and literacy of the Kayah language.