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{{Refimprove|date=December 2008}}
{{Infobox writing system
|name={{hamza}}Phags-pa
|altname=
|type=[[Alphabet]]
|time=1269 – c. 1360
|languages={{plainlist|
*[[Chinese language|Chinese]]
*[[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]
*[[Persian language|Persian]]
*[[Sanskrit]]
*[[Classical Tibetan|Tibetan]]
*[[Old Uyghur language|Uyghur]]}}
|fam1=[[Egyptian hieroglyphs]]
|fam2=[[Proto-Sinaitic]]
|fam3=[[Phoenician alphabet]]
|fam4=[[Aramaic alphabet]]
|fam5=[[Brāhmī script|Brāhmī]][a]
|fam6=[[Gupta script|Gupta]]
|fam7=[[Tibetan script|Tibetan]]
|children=[[Horizontal square script]]
|sisters=[[Lepcha script|Lepcha]], [[Meitei script|Meitei]]. [[Marchen script|Marchen]]
|creator=[[Drogön Chögyal Phagpa]]
|unicode=[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/UA840.pdf U+A840–U+A87F]
|iso15924=Phag
|sample=Yang Wengshe 1314.jpg
|caption=[[Christianity in China|Christian]] tombstone from [[Quanzhou]] dated 1314, with inscription in the {{hamza}}Phags-pa script ''ꞏung shė yang shi mu taw'' 'tomb memorial of Yang Wengshe'
|imagesize=250px
|footnotes=[a] The Semitic origin of the Brahmic scripts is not universally agreed upon.
}}{{RCL}}{{brahmic}}

The '''{{hamza}}Phags-pa script''' is an [[alphabet]] designed by the [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]] monk and State Preceptor (later [[Imperial Preceptor]]) [[Drogön Chögyal Phagpa]] for [[Kublai Khan]], the founder of the [[Yuan dynasty]], as a unified script for the written languages within the Yuan. The actual use of this script was limited to about a hundred years during the [[Mongols|Mongol]]-led Yuan dynasty, and it fell out of use with the advent of the [[Ming dynasty]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}

It was used to write and transcribe [[varieties of Chinese]], the [[Tibetic languages]], [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]], the [[Uyghur language]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Persian language|Persian]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/chinese-iranian-viii|title=CHINESE-IRANIAN RELATIONS viii. Persian Lang. – Encyclopaedia Iranica|website=www.iranicaonline.org|access-date=2019-06-28}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.babelstone.co.uk/Phags-pa/Description.html|title=BabelStone : {{hamza}}Phags-pa Script : Description|website=www.babelstone.co.uk|access-date=2019-06-28}}</ref> and other neighboring languages during the Yuan era.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Script/phagspascript.html|title=The {{hamza}}Phags-pa Script (www.chinaknowledge.de)|last=Theobald|first=Ulrich|website=www.chinaknowledge.de|language=en|access-date=2019-06-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.babelstone.co.uk/Phags-pa/Overview.html|title=BabelStone : Phags-pa Script : Overview|website=www.babelstone.co.uk|access-date=2019-06-28}}</ref> For [[Historical linguistics|historical linguists]], the documentation of its use provides clues about the changes in these languages.

Its descendant systems include [[Horizontal square script]], used to write Tibetan and Sanskrit. There is a theory that the Korean [[Hangul]] alphabet had a limited influence from {{hamza}}Phags-pa (see [[Origin of Hangul]]). During the [[Pax Mongolica]] the script has even made numerous appearances in [[Mongol elements in Western medieval art|western medieval art]].

== Nomenclature ==
{{hamza}}Phags-pa script: {{Phagspa|v|ꡏꡡꡃ ꡣꡡꡙ ꡐꡜꡞ|mongxol tshi|style=height:40px}} ''mongxol tshi'', "Mongolian script";

{{lang-mn|дөрвөлжин үсэг}} ''dörvöljin üseg'', "square script";

{{bo|t=ཧོར་ཡིག་གསར་པ་|w=hor yig gsar ba}} "new Mongolian script";

[[Yuan dynasty]] {{zh|t=蒙古新字|p=měnggǔ xīnzì}} "new Mongolian script";

Modern {{zh|t=八思巴文|p=bāsībā wén}} "{{hamza}}Phags-pa script"

== History ==

During the [[Mongol Empire]], the Mongols wanted a universal script to write down the languages of the people they subjugated. The [[Old Uyghur alphabet|Uyghur]]-based [[Mongolian alphabets|Mongolian alphabet]] is not a perfect fit for the [[Middle Mongol language]], and it would be impractical to extend it to a language with a very different phonology like [[Chinese language|Chinese]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}} Therefore, during the Yuan dynasty (c. 1269), Kublai Khan asked the Tibetan monk [[{{hamza}}Phags-pa lama|{{hamza}}Phags-pa]] to design a new alphabet for use by the whole empire. {{hamza}}Phags-pa extended his native [[Tibetan alphabet]]<ref name=":0" /> to encompass Mongol and Chinese, evidently [[Central Plains Mandarin]].<ref>{{cite book
|chapter = Reflections on the Study of Post-Medieval Chinese Historical Phonology
|chapter-url = http://www.ling.sinica.edu.tw/files/publication/o0004_02_5568.pdf
|first = W. South
|last = Coblin
|author-link = Weldon South Coblin
|title = 第三屆國際漢學會議論文集: 語言組. 南北是非 : 漢語方言的差異與變化
|trans-title = Papers from the Third International Conference on Sinology, Linguistics Section. Dialect Variations in Chinese
|year = 2002
|editor = 何大安
|url = http://www.ling.sinica.edu.tw/publ_o_d_en.asp-aid=4.htm
|publisher = Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica
|location = Taipei
|isbn = 978-957-671-936-3
|pages = 23–50
|accessdate = 21 October 2011
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130516155409/http://www.ling.sinica.edu.tw/publ_o_d_en.asp-aid=4.htm
|archive-date = 2013-05-16
|url-status = dead
}} p. 31.</ref> The resulting 38 letters have been known by several descriptive names, such as "square script" based on their shape, but today are primarily known as the {{hamza}}Phags-pa alphabet.{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}

Descending from [[Tibetan script]] it is part of the [[Brahmic scripts|Brahmic family of scripts]], which includes [[Devanagari]] and scripts used throughout [[Southeast Asia]] and [[Central Asia]].<ref name=":0" /> It is unique among Brahmic scripts in that it is written top bottom,<ref name=":0" /> like how Chinese used to be written; and like the [[Manchu alphabet]] or later [[Mongolian alphabet]].

Despite its origin, the script was written vertically (top to bottom) like the previous Mongolian scripts. It did not receive wide acceptance and was not a popular script even among the elite Mongols themselves, although it was used as an official script of the Yuan dynasty until the early 1350s<ref>Strange Names of God: The Missionary Translation of the Divine Name and the Chinese Responses to Matteo Ricci's "Shangti" in Late Ming China, 1583-1644, by Sangkeun Kim, p139</ref> when the [[Red Turban Rebellion]] started. After this it was mainly used as a phonetic [[Gloss (annotation)|gloss]] for Mongols learning [[Chinese characters]]. It was also used as one of the scripts on Tibetan currency in the twentieth century, as script for Tibetan seal inscriptions from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century and for inscriptions on the entrance doors of Tibetan monasteries.{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}

== Syllable formation ==
Although it is an alphabet, phagspa is written like a syllabary or abugida, with letters forming a single syllable glued or '[[Ligature (language)|ligated]]' together.<ref name=":0" />{{multiple image
|width = 300
|direction = vertical
|image1 = Phagspa imperial edict dragon year.jpg
|caption1 = An imperial edict in {{hamza}}Phags-pa
|image2 = Phagspa styles.png
|caption2 = The {{hamza}}Phags-pa script, with consonants arranged according to Chinese phonology. At the far left are vowels and medial consonants. 
'''Top''': Approximate values in Middle Chinese. (Values in parentheses were not used for Chinese.)
 
'''Second''': Standard letter forms.
 
'''Third''': [[Seal script]] forms. (A few letters, marked by hyphens, are not distinct from the preceding letter.)
 
'''Bottom''': The "Tibetan" forms. (Several letters have alternate forms, separated here by a • bullet.)
}}
Unlike the ancestral Tibetan script, all {{hamza}}Phags-pa letters are written in temporal order (that is, /CV/ is written in the order ''C–V'' for all vowels) and in-line (that is, the vowels are not diacritics). However, vowel letters retain distinct initial forms, and short /a/ is not written except initially, making {{hamza}}Phags-pa transitional between an [[abugida]], a [[syllabary]], and a full alphabet. The letters of a {{hamza}}Phags-pa syllable are linked together so that they form syllabic blocks.<ref name=":0" />

== Typographic forms ==
{{hamza}}Phags-pa was written in a variety of graphic forms. The standard form (top, at right) was blocky, but a "Tibetan" form (bottom) was even more so, consisting almost entirely of straight orthogonal lines and right angles. A "[[seal script]]" form (Chinese 蒙古篆字 ''měnggǔ zhuànzì'' "Mongolian Seal Script"), used for imperial seals and the like, was more elaborate, with squared sinusoidal lines and spirals.{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}} This 'Phags-pa script is different from the 'Phags-pa script, or 八思巴字 in Chinese, that shares the same name but its earliest usage can be traced back to the late 16th century, the early reign of [[Wanli Emperor]]. According to Professor [[Junast]] 照那斯图 of the [[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]], the later 'Phags-pa script is actually a seal script of [[Tibetan]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=[[Junast]] 照那斯图|title=一种从八思巴字脱胎而来的文字 (in Chinese) |journal=Minority Languages of China 民族语文 |date=April 2003 |issue=2002.3. |pages=56-58}}</ref>

Korean records state that [[hangul]] was based on an "Old Seal Script" (古篆字), which may be {{hamza}}Phags-pa and a reference to its Chinese name 蒙古篆字 měnggǔ zhuànzì (see [[origin of hangul]]). However, it is the simpler standard form of {{hamza}}Phags-pa that is the closer graphic match to hangul.

== Letters ==

=== Basic Letters ===
The following 41 are the basic {{hamza}}Phags-pa letters.

Letters 1-30 and 35-38 are base consonants. The order of Letters 1-30 is the same as the traditional order of the thirty basic letters of the Tibetan script, to which they correspond. Letters 35-38 represent sounds that do not occur in Tibetan, and are either derived from an existing Tibetan base consonant (e.g. Letters 2 and 35 are both derived from the simple Tibetan letter KHA, but are graphically distinct from each other) or from a combination of an existing Tibetan base consonant and the semi-vowel (subjoined) letter WA (e.g. Letter 36 is derived from the complex Tibetan letter KHWA).

As is the case with Tibetan, these letters have an inherant [a] vowel sound attached to them in non-final positions when no other vowel sign is present (e.g. the letter KA with no attached vowel represents the syllable ''ka'', but with an appended vowel ''i'' represents the syllable ''ki'').

Letters 31-34 and 39 are vowels. Letters 31-34 follow the traditional order of the corresponding Tibetan vowels. Letter 39 represents a vowel quality that does not occur in Tibetan, and may be derived from the Tibetan double-E vowel sign.

Unlike Tibetan, in which vowels signs may not occur in isolation but must always be attached to a base consonant to form a valid syllable, in the {{hamza}}Phags-pa script initial vowels other than ''a'' may occur without a base consonant when they are not the first element in a diphthong (e.g. ''ue'') or a digraph (e.g. ''eeu'' and ''eeo''). Thus in Chinese {{hamza}}Phags-pa texts the syllables ''u'' 吾 wú, ''on'' 刓 wán and ''o'' 訛 é occur, and in Mongolian {{hamza}}Phags-pa texts the words ''ong qo chas'' "boats", ''u su nu'' (gen.) "water", ''e du -ee'' "now" and ''i hee -een'' "protection" occur. These are all examples of where ''<nowiki/>'o'', ''<nowiki/>'u'', ''<nowiki/>'e'', ''<nowiki/>'i'' etc. would be expected if the Tibetan model had been followed exactly. An exception to this rule is the Mongolian word ''<nowiki/>'er di nis'' "jewels", where a single vowel sign is attached to a null base consonant. Note that the letter EE is never found in an initial position in any language written in the {{hamza}}Phags-pa script (for example, in Tao Zongyi's description of the Old Uighur script, he glosses all instances of Uighur ''e'' with the {{hamza}}Phags-pa letter EE, except for when it is found in the initial position, when he glosses it with the {{hamza}}Phags-pa letter E instead).

However, initial semi-vowels, diphthongs and digraphs must be attached to the null base consonant 'A (Letter 30). So in Chinese {{hamza}}Phags-pa texts the syllables ''<nowiki/>'wen'' 元 yuán, ''<nowiki/>'ue'' 危 wēi and ''<nowiki/>'eeu'' 魚 yú occur; and in Mongolian {{hamza}}Phags-pa texts the words ''<nowiki/>'eeu lu'' "not" and ''<nowiki/>'eeog bee.e'' "gave" occur. As there is no sign for the vowel ''a'', which is implicit in an initial base consonant with no attached vowel sign, then words that start with an ''a'' vowel must also use the null base consonant letter 'A (e.g. Mongolian ''<nowiki/>'a mi than'' "living beings"). In Chinese, and rarely Mongolian, another null base consonant -A (Letter 23) may be found before initial vowels (see "Letter 23" below).
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No.
!{{hamza}}Phags-pa letter
!Derivation
!Letter Name
!Transcription
!Mongolian Examples
!Chinese Examples
|-
|1
|{{Phagspa||ꡀ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER KA ཀ [U+0F40]
|KA
|k
|Only used for words of foreign origin, such as ''kal bu dun'' (gen. pl.) from Sanskrit ''kalpa'' "aeon" [cf. Mongolian ''galab'' ᠭᠠᠯᠠᠪ], with the single exception of the common Mongolian word ''ye kee'' "large, great" [cf. Mongolian ''yeke'' ᠶᠡᠬᠡ]
|''kiw'' 裘 qiú
''kue'' 夔 kuí
|-
|2
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡁ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER KHA ཁ [U+0F41]
|KHA
|kh
|''kheen'' "who" [cf. Mongolian ''ken'' ᠬᠡᠨ]
|''khang'' 康 kāng
''kheeu'' 屈 qū
|-
|3
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡂ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER GA ག [U+0F42]
|GA
|g
|''bi chig'' "written document, book" [cf. Mongolian ''bičig'' ᠪᠢᠴᠢᠭ]
|''ging'' 荊 jīng
''gu'' 古 gǔ
|-
|4
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡃ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER NGA ང [U+0F44]
|NGA
|ng
|''deng ri'' "heaven" [cf. Mongolian ''tengri'' ᠲᠡᠩᠷᠢ]
|''ngiw'' 牛 niú
''ngem'' 嚴 yán
''ding'' 丁 dīng
|-
|5
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡄ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER CA ཅ [U+0F45]
|CA
|c
|
|''cay'' 柴 chái
''ci'' 池 chí
|-
|6
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡅ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER CHA ཆ [U+0F46]
|CHA
|ch
|''cha q-an'' "white" [cf. Mongolian ''čaɣan'' ᠴᠠᠭᠠᠨ]
|''chang'' 昌 chāng
''cheeu'' 褚 chǔ
|-
|7
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡆ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER JA ཇ [U+0F47]
|JA
|j
|''jil'' "year" [cf. Mongolian ''ǰil'' ᠵᠢᠯ]
|''jim'' 針 zhēn
|-
|8
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡇ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER NYA ཉ [U+0F49]
|NYA
|ny
|
|''nyiw'' 鈕 niǔ
|-
|9
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡈ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER TA ཏ [U+0F4F]
|TA
|t
|Mostly used in words of foreign origin, such as ''<nowiki/>'er ti nis'' (also ''<nowiki/>'er di nis'') "jewels" [cf. Mongolian ''erdenis'' ᠡᠷᠳᠡᠨᠢᠰ] and ''ta layi'' "sea, ocean" [cf. Mongolian ''dalai'' ᠳᠠᠯᠠᠢ]
|''ten'' 田 tián
''tung'' 童 tóng
|-
|10
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡉ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER THA ཐ [U+0F50]
|THA
|th
|''thu thum'' "each, all" [cf. Mongolian ''tutum'' ᠲᠤᠲᠤᠮ]
|''thang'' 湯 tāng
''thung'' 通 tōng
|-
|11
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡊ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER DA ད [U+0F51]
|DA
|d
|''u ri da nu'' (gen.) "former, previous" [cf. Mongolian ''urida'' ᠤᠷᠢᠳᠠ]
|''dung'' 東 dōng
''du'' 都 dū
|-
|12
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡋ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER NA ན [U+0F53]
|NA
|n
|''ma nu'' "our" [cf. Mongolian ''manu'' ᠮᠠᠨᠤ]
|''nee'' 聶 niè
''nung'' 農 nóng
''gon'' 管 guǎn
|-
|13
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡌ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER PA པ [U+0F54]
|PA
|p
|Only used in words of foreign origin, such as ''pur xan'' "Buddha" [cf. Mongolian ''burqan'' ᠪᠤᠷᠬᠠᠨ]
|''pang'' 龐 páng
''pay'' 白 bái
|-
|14
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡍ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER PHA ཕ [U+0F55]
|PHA
|ph
|
|''phon'' 潘 pān
''phu'' 浦 pǔ
|-
|15
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡎ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER BA བ [U+0F56]
|BA
|b
|''ba sa'' "then, still, also" [cf. Mongolian ''basa'' ᠪᠠᠰᠠ]
|''ban'' 班 bān
''been'' 邊 biān
|-
|16
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡏ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER MA མ [U+0F58]
|MA
|m
|''<nowiki/>'a mi than'' "living beings" [cf. Mongolian ''amitan'' ᠠᠮᠢᠲᠠᠨ]
|''min'' 閔 mǐn
''mew'' 苗 miáo
''gim'' 金 jīn
|-
|17
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡐ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER TSA ཙ [U+0F59]
|TSA
|ts
|
|''tsaw'' 曹 cáo
''tsin'' 秦 qín
|-
|18
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡑ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER TSHA ཚ [U+0F5A]
|TSHA
|tsh
|Only used in words of foreign origin, such as ''sha tshin'' "religion"
|''tshay'' 蔡 cài
''tshiw'' 秋 qiū
|-
|19
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡒ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER DZA ཛ [U+0F5B]
|DZA
|dz
|
|''dzam'' 昝 zǎn
''dzew'' 焦 jiāo
|-
|20
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡓ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER WA ཝ [U+0F5D]
|WA
|w
|Only used in words of foreign origin, such as ''wa chi ra ba ni'' "Vajrapāṇi"
|''wan'' 萬 wàn
''wu'' 武 wǔ
''xiw'' 侯 hóu
''gaw'' 高 gāo
|-
|21
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡔ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER ZHA ཞ [U+0F5E]
|ZHA
|zh
|
|''zheeu'' 茹 rú
''zhew'' 饒 ráo
|-
|22
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡕ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER ZA ཟ [U+0F5F]
|ZA
|z
|Only found in the single word ''za ra'' "month" [cf. Mongolian ''sara'' ᠰᠠᠷᠠ]
|''zeeu'' 徐 xú
''zi'' 席 xí
|-
|23
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡖ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER -A འ [U+0F60]
|<nowiki>-A</nowiki>
|<nowiki>-</nowiki>
|This letter is found rarely initially, e.g. ''-ir gee nee'' (dat./loc.) "people" [cf. Mongolian ''irgen'' ᠢᠷᠭᠡᠨ], but frequently medially between vowels where it serves to separate a syllable that starts with a vowel from a preceding syllable that ends in a vowel, e.g. ''er khee -ud'' "Christians" and ''q-an'' "emperor, khan" [cf. Mongolian ''qaɣan'' ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ] (where ''q-an'' is a contraction for the hypothetical ''qa -an'')
|''-an'' 安 ān
''-ing'' 應 yīng
''-eeu'' 郁 yù
|-
|24
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡗ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER YA ཡ [U+0F61]
|YA
|y
|''na yan'' "eighty" [cf. Mongolian ''nayan'' ᠨᠠᠶᠠᠨ]
|''yi'' 伊 yī
''yang'' 羊 yáng
''day'' 戴 dài
''hyay'' 解 xiè
|-
|25
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡘ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER RA ར [U+0F62]
|RA
|r
|''chee rig'' "army" [cf. Mongolian ''čerig'' ᠴᠡᠷᠢᠭ]
|
|-
|26
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡙ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER LA ལ [U+0F63]
|LA
|l
|''al ba'' "tax, tribute" [cf. Mongolian ''alba'' ᠠᠯᠪᠠ]
|''leeu'' 呂 lǚ
''lim'' 林 lín
|-
|27
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡚ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER SHA ཤ [U+0F64]
|SHA
|sh
|''shi nee'' "new" [cf. Mongolian ''šine'' ᠱᠢᠨᠡ]
|''shi'' 石 shí
''shwang'' 雙 shuāng
|-
|28
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡛ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER SA ས [U+0F66]
|SA
|s
|''hee chus'' "end, goal" [cf. Mongolian ''ečüs'' ᠡᠴᠦᠰ]
|''su'' 蘇 sū
''syang'' 相 xiàng
|-
|29
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡜ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER HA ཧ [U+0F67]
|HA
|h
|Initially in words that now have null initials, such as ''har ban'' "ten" [cf. Mongolian ''arban'' ᠠᠷᠪᠠᠨ], and medially only in the single word ''-i hee -een'' (or ''-i h-een'') "protector, guardian"
|''hwa'' 花 huā
''sh.hi'' 史 shǐ
''l.hing'' 冷 lěng
''j.hang'' 莊 zhuāng
|-
|30
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡝ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER A ཨ [U+0F68]
|'A
|'
|''<nowiki/>'eeu lu'' "not" [cf. Mongolian ''ülü'' ᠦᠯᠦ]
|''<nowiki/>'wang'' 王 wáng
''<nowiki/>'eeu'' 虞 yú
|-
|31
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡞ}}
|TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN I ི [U+0F72]
|I
|i
|''-i hee -een'' (or ''-i h-een'') "protection"
|''li'' 李 lǐ
''n.hing'' 能 néng
''heei'' 奚 xī
|-
|32
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡟ}}
|TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN U ུ [U+0F74]
|U
|u
|''u su nu'' (gen.) "water" [cf. Mongolian ''usun'' ᠤᠰᠤᠨ]
|''u'' 吳 wú
''mue'' 梅 méi
|-
|33
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡠ}}
|TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN E ེ [U+0F7A]
|E
|e
|''e du -ee'' "now" [cf. Mongolian ''edüge'' ᠡᠳᠦᠭᠡ]
|''ze'' 謝 xiè
''jem'' 詹 zhān
''gue'' 國 guó
|-
|34
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡡ}}
|TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN O ོ [U+0F7C]
|O
|o
|''ong qo chas'' "boats" [cf. Mongolian ''ongɣočas'' ᠣᠩᠭᠣᠴᠠᠰ]
|''no'' 那 nā
''mon'' 滿 mǎn
|-
|35
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡢ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER KHA ཁ [U+0F41]
|QA
|q
|''qa muq'' "all" [cf. Mongolian ''qamuɣ'' ᠬᠠᠮᠤᠭ]
|
|-
|36
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡣ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER KHA [U+0F41] plus TIBETAN SUBJOINED LETTER WA [U+0FAD] ཁྭ
|XA
|x
|Only used in words of foreign origin, such as ''pur xan'' "Buddha" [cf. Mongolian ''burqan'' ᠪᠤᠷᠬᠠᠨ]
|''xu'' 胡 hú
''xong'' 黃 huáng
|-
|37
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡤ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER HA [U+0F67] plus TIBETAN SUBJOINED LETTER WA [U+0FAD] ཧྭ
|FA
|f
|
|''fang'' 方 fāng
''fi'' 費 fèi
|-
|38
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡥ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER GA ག [U+0F42]
|GGA
|
|
|
|-
|39
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡦ}}
|TIBETAN VOWEL SIGN EE ཻ [U+0F7B]
|EE
|ee
|''el deeb'' "various" [cf. Mongolian ''eldeb'' ᠡᠯᠳᠡᠪ] (Poppe reads this word as ''eel deeb'', as the only example of an initial letter EE, but I think that it is clear from the rubbing of the inscription that the initial letter is a slightly deformeed letter E)
|''chee'' 車 chē
''seeu'' 胥 xū
''geeing'' 經 jīng
|-
|40
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡧ}}
|TIBETAN SUBJOINED LETTER WA ྭ [U+0FAD]
|SUBJOINED WA
|w
|
|''xway'' 懷 huái
''jwaw'' 卓 zhuō
''gwang'' 廣 guǎng
|-
|41
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡨ}}
|TIBETAN SUBJOINED LETTER YA ྱ [U+0FB1]
|SUBJOINED YA
|y
|
|''hya'' 夏 xià
''gya'' 家 jiā
''dzyang'' 蔣 jiǎng
|}

=== Additional Letters ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No.
!{{hamza}}Phags-pa letter
!Derivation
!Letter Name
!Transcription
!Sanskrit or Tibetan Examples
|-
|42
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡩ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER TTA ཊ [U+0F4A]
|TTA
|tt
|''sha tt-a pa ... i ta'' (Sanskrit ''ṣaṭ pāramitā'') [Ill.3 Line 6]
|-
|43
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡪ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER TTHA ཋ [U+0F4B]
|TTHA
|tth
|''pra tish tthi te'' (Sanskrit ''pratiṣṭhite'') [Ill.3 Line 8] (TTHA plus unreversed I)
''dhish tthi te'' (Sanskrit ''dhiṣṭhite'') [''Tathāgatahṛdaya-dhāraṇī'' Line 16] (TTHA plus reversed I)
''nish tthe'' (Sanskrit ''niṣṭhe'') [''Tathāgatahṛdaya-dhāraṇī'' Line 10] (TTHA plus reversed E)
|-
|44
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡫ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER DDA ཌ [U+0F4C]
|DDA
|dd
|''dann dde'' (Sanskrit ''daṇḍaya'') [''Tathāgatahṛdaya-dhāraṇī'' Line 14]
''<nowiki/>'-a kad ddha ya'' (Sanskrit ''ākaḍḍhaya'') [Ill.4 Line 7] (DDA plus reversed HA)
|-
|45
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡬ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER NNA ཎ [U+0F4E]
|NNA
|nn
|''sb-a ra nna'' (Sanskrit ''spharaṇa'') [Ill.3 Line 3]
''ush nni ...'' (Sanskrit ''uṣṇīṣa'') [Ill.3 Line 6] (NNA plus reversed I)
''kshu nnu'' (Sanskrit ''kṣuṇu'') [''Tathāgatahṛdaya-dhāraṇī'' Line 2] (NNA plus reversed U)

''ha ra nne'' (Sanskrit ''haraṇe'') [Ill.4 Line 5] (NNA plus reversed E)
''pu nn.ya'' (Sanskrit ''puṇya'') [''Tathāgatahṛdaya-dhāraṇī'' Line 13] (NNA plus reversed subjoined Y)
|-
|46
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡱ}}
|TIBETAN SUBJOINED LETTER RA ྲ [U+0FB2]
|Subjoined RA
| rowspan="2" |r
|''bh-ru^'' (Sanskrit ''bhrūṁ'') [Ill.3 Line 2]
''mu dre'' (Sanskrit ''mudre'') [Ill.3 Line 9]
''ba dzra'' (Sanskrit ''vajra'') [Ill.3 Line 9]

''bkra shis'' (Tibetan ''bkra-shis'' "prosperity, good fortune") [Ill.5]
|-
|47
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡲ}}
|TIBETAN LETTER RA ར [U+0F62]
|Superfixed RA
|''sangs rgyas'' (Tibetan ''sangs-rgyas'' "Buddha") [Ill.6]
|-
|48
|{{Phagspa|2=ꡳ}}
|TIBETAN SIGN SNA LDAN ྃ [U+0F83]
DEVANAGARI SIGN CANDRABINDU [U+0901]
|[[Chandrabindu|Candrabindu]]
|^
|''o^ bh-ru^ bh-ru^'' (Sanskrit ''oṁ bhrūṁ bhrūṁ'') [Ill.3 Line 2]
''sa^ ha ...'' (Sanskrit ''saṁhatana'') [Ill.3 Line 9]
|}

=== Menggu Ziyun ===
Following are the initials of the {{hamza}}Phags-pa script as presented in ''[[Menggu Ziyun]]''. They are ordered according to the Chinese philological tradition of the 36 initials.{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+36 initials in 蒙古字韵 ''Menggu Ziyun''
|-
! No. !! Name !! Phonetic value !! {{hamza}}Phags-pa letter !! {{hamza}}Phags-pa Initial !! Notes
|-
| 1 || [[wikt:見|見]] jiàn|| {{IPA|*[k]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡂ|ga}} || g- ||
|-
| 2 || [[wikt:溪|溪]] qī|| {{IPA|*[kʰ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡁ|kha}} || kh- ||
|-
| 3 || [[wikt:群|群]] qún|| {{IPA|*[ɡ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡀ|ka}} || k- ||
|-
| 4 || [[wikt:疑|疑]] yí|| {{IPA|*[ŋ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡃ|nga}} || ng- ||
|-
| 5 || [[wikt:端|端]] duān|| {{IPA|*[t]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡊ|da}} || d- ||
|-
| 6 || [[wikt:透|透]] tòu|| {{IPA|*[tʰ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡉ|tha}} || th- ||
|-
| 7 || [[wikt:定|定]] dìng|| {{IPA|*[d]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡈ|ta}} || t- ||
|-
| 8 || [[wikt:泥|泥]] ní|| {{IPA|*[n]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡋ|na}} || n- ||
|-
| 9 || [[wikt:知|知]] zhī|| {{IPA|*[ʈ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡆ|ja}} || j- ||
|-
| 10 || [[wikt:徹|徹]] chè|| {{IPA|*[ʈʰ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡅ|cha}} || ch- ||
|-
| 11 || [[wikt:澄|澄]] chéng|| {{IPA|*[ɖ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡄ|ca}} || c- ||
|-
| 12 || [[wikt:娘|娘]] niáng|| {{IPA|*[ɳ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡇ|nya}} || ny- ||
|-
| 13 || [[wikt:幫|幫]] bāng|| {{IPA|*[p]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡎ|ba}} || b- ||
|-
| 14 || [[wikt:滂|滂]] pāng|| {{IPA|*[pʰ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡍ|pha}} || ph- ||
|-
| 15 || [[wikt:並|並]] bìng|| {{IPA|*[b]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡌ|pa}} || p- ||
|-
| 16 || [[wikt:明|明]] míng|| {{IPA|*[m]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡏ|ma}} || m- ||
|-
| 17 || [[wikt:非|非]] fēi|| {{IPA|*[p̪]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡤ|fa}} || f- || Normal form of the letter ''fa''
|-
| 18 || [[wikt:敷|敷]] fū|| {{IPA|*[p̪ʰ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡰ|fa¹}} || f¹- || Variant form of the letter ''fa''
|-
| 19 || [[wikt:奉|奉]] fèng|| {{IPA|*[b̪]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡤ|fa}} || f- || Normal form of the letter ''fa''
|-
| 20 || [[wikt:微|微]] wēi|| {{IPA|*[ɱ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡓ|wa}} || w- || Letter ''wa'' represents {{IPA|[v]}}
|-
| 21 || [[wikt:精|精]] jīng|| {{IPA|*[ts]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡒ|dza}} || dz- ||
|-
| 22 || [[wikt:清|清]] qīng|| {{IPA|*[tsʰ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡑ|tsha}} || tsh- ||
|-
| 23 || [[wikt:從|從]] cóng|| {{IPA|*[dz]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡐ|tsa}} || ts- ||
|-
| 24 || [[wikt:心|心]] xīn|| {{IPA|*[s]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡛ|sa}} || s- ||
|-
| 25 || [[wikt:邪|邪]] xié|| {{IPA|*[z]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡕ|za}} || z- ||
|-
| 26 || [[wikt:照|照]] zhào|| {{IPA|*[tɕ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡆ|ja}} || j- ||
|-
| 27 || [[wikt:穿|穿]] chuān|| {{IPA|*[tɕʰ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡅ|cha}} || ch- ||
|-
| 28 || [[wikt:床|床]] chuáng|| {{IPA|*[dʑ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡄ|ca}} || c- ||
|-
| 29 || [[wikt:審|審]] shěn|| {{IPA|*[ɕ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡮ|sha¹}} || sh¹- || Variant form of the letter ''sha''
|-
| 30 || [[wikt:禪|禪]] chán|| {{IPA|*[ʑ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡚ|sha}} || sh- || Normal form of the letter ''sha''
|-
| 31 || [[wikt:曉|曉]] xiǎo|| {{IPA|*[x]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡜ|ha}} || h- || Normal form of the letter ''ha''
|-
| rowspan=2 | 32 || rowspan=2 | [[wikt:匣|匣]] xiá|| rowspan=2 | {{IPA|*[ɣ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡣ|xa}} || x- ||
|-
| {{Phagspa|v|ꡯ|ha¹}} || h¹- || Variant form of the letter ''ha''
|-
| rowspan=2 | 33 || rowspan=2 | [[wikt:影|影]] yǐng|| rowspan=2 | {{IPA|*[ʔ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡖ|{{hamza}}a}} || {{hamza}}- || [[glottal stop]]
|-
| {{Phagspa|v|ꡗ|'a}} || y- || Normal form of the letter ''ya''
|-
| rowspan=2 | 34 || rowspan=2 | [[wikt:喻|喻]] yù|| rowspan=2 | {{IPA|*[j]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡝ|a}} || - || [[zero onset|null initial]]
|-
| {{Phagspa|v|ꡭ|a}} || y¹- || Variant form of the letter ''ya''
|-
| 35 || [[wikt:來|來]] lái|| {{IPA|*[l]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡙ|la}} || l- ||
|-
| 36 || [[wikt:日|日]] rì|| {{IPA|*[ɲ]}} || {{Phagspa|v|ꡔ|zha}} || zh- ||
|}

== Unicode ==
{{Main|Phags-pa (Unicode block)}}

{{hamza}}Phags-pa script was added to the [[Unicode]] Standard in July 2006 with the release of version 5.0.

The Unicode block for {{hamza}}Phags-pa is U+A840–U+A877:{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}
{{Unicode chart Phags-pa}}

U+A856 {{Phagspa|v|ꡖ|{{hamza}}a}} {{small|PHAGS-PA LETTER SMALL A}} is transliterated using {{unichar|A78F|LATIN LETTER SINOLOGICAL DOT}} from the [[Latin Extended-D]] Unicode block.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2009/09031r-n3567r.pdf|title=L2/09-031R: Proposal to encode a Middle Dot letter for Phags-pa transliteration|date=2009-04-04|first=Andrew|last=West}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Brahmic scripts]]
* [[Mongolian alphabets]]
* [[Origin of hangul]]
* [[Mongol elements in Western medieval art]]
* [[Menggu Ziyun]] (Yuan dynasty {{hamza}}Phags-pa—Chinese rhyming dictionary)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* {{cite book | last=Coblin | first=W. South | author-link=Weldon South Coblin | title=A Handbook of {{hamza}}Phags-pa Chinese | series=ABC Dictionary Series | year=2006 | publisher=University of Hawai'i Press | location=Honolulu | isbn=978-0-8248-3000-7|url=https://books.google.com/?id=3q6nja-Ii8gC|accessdate=24 April 2014}}
* {{cite book|title=Chinese in Hp'ags-pa Script|first=Paul. B.|last=Denlinger|year=1963|url=https://books.google.com/?id=4mHKuAAACAAJ|accessdate=24 April 2014}}
* {{cite book | last=Everding | first=Karl-Heinz | title=Herrscherurkunden aus der Zeit des mongolischen Großreiches für tibetische Adelshäuser, Geistliche und Klöster. Teil 1: Diplomata Mongolica. Mittelmongolische Urkunden in {{hamza}}Phags-pa-Schrift. Eidtion, Übersetzung, Analyse | location=Halle | publisher=International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies | year=2006 | isbn=978-3-88280-074-6 }}
* {{cite book | last=Poppe | first=Nicholas | author-link=Nicholas Poppe | title=The Mongolian Monuments in hP´ags-pa Script | edition=Second | location=Wiesbaden | publisher=Harrassowitz | year=1957 }}
* {{cite book | last=Sampson | first=Geoffrey | author-link=Geoffrey Sampson | title=Writing Systems: A Linguistic Introduction | location=Great Britain | publisher=Anchor Brenton Ltd | year=1985 | isbn=978-0-09-156980-8 }}
* {{cite book | last=Schuh | first=Dieter | author-link=Dieter Schuh | title=Grundlagen tibetischer Siegelkunde. Eine Untersuchung über tibetische Siegelaufschriften in {{hamza}}Phags-pa-Schrift | location=Sankt Augustin | publisher=VGH Wissenschaftsverlag | year=1981 | isbn=978-3-88280-011-1 }}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Phagspa script}}
*[http://www.babelstone.co.uk/Phags-pa/index.html BabelStone: {{hamza}}Phags-pa Script] (with free fonts)
* [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/phagspa.htm Omniglot: {{hamza}}Phags-pa script]
* [http://www.ancientscripts.com/hphagspa.html Ancientscripts: hPhags-pa]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091018190435/http://kr.geocities.com/tomchiukc/Language/Mongolian/MidMongolian.html Mongolian characters after Kublai Khan]

{{list of writing systems}}
{{Yuan dynasty topics}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phags-Pa Script}}
[[Category:Brahmic scripts]]
[[Category:Mongolian writing systems]]
[[Category:Transcription of Chinese]]
[[Category:Obsolete writing systems]]
[[Category:Abugida writing systems]]
[[Category:Writing systems without word boundaries]]
[[Category:Old Mandarin]]
[[Category:Yuan dynasty]]
[[Category:Mongolia–Tibet relations]]

ʼPhags-pa script - Revision history

Saumyasingh: Created page with "{{Refimprove|date=December 2008}} {{Infobox writing system |name={{hamza}}Phags-pa |altname= |type=Alphabet |time=1269 – c. 1360 |languages={{plainlist| *Chinese..."