𖬖𖬲𖬝𖬡 π–¬„π–¬²π–¬Ÿ π–¬Œπ–¬£π–¬΅

Pahawh means "alphabet"

Keyman Keyboard

Install and type Pahawh on your phone.

Unicode Fonts

Download the available unicode fonts.

Pahawh Converter

Convert Hmong RPA to Pahawh Hmong

More tools

Check out our apps to help you learn faster.

Discover


What is the Pahawh Hmong?

𖬇𖬲𖬧𖬡 𖬏𖬩𖬡 𖬖𖬲𖬝𖬡 π–¬„π–¬²π–¬Ÿ π–¬Œπ–¬£π–¬΅ 𖬓𖬢𖬀 π–¬–π–¬žπ–¬° 𖬃𖬰𖬝𖬰𖬷


The Pahawh Hmong (𖬖𖬲𖬝𖬡 π–¬„π–¬²π–¬Ÿ π–¬Œπ–¬£π–¬΅ Phajhauj Hmoob) is a phonological writing system for the Hmong language, created by an uneducated and illiterate Hmong man, Shong Lue Yang (π–¬Œπ–¬€π–¬΅ π–¬˜π–¬²π–¬ž 𖬖𖬲𖬀 Soob Lwj Yaj), in 1959, to write the Hmong language. The script was developed through four stages, with the third stage being promoted as the stardard. The script can write both the Green Hmong (Moob Leeg) and White Hmong (Hmoob Dawb) dialect.

Like many other indigenous languages around the world, Pahawh Hmong faced challenges in typesetting, or in today's worldβ€”simply a way to use it on a mobile phone. Any writing system that cannot be used on a mobile device today will struggle to thrive, let alone survive.

In 2009, the Pahawh Hmong script was proposed to encode in the UCS (Unicode Standard). As of version 7 in 2014, all the Pahawh Hmong script characters were added to the UCS. In 2022, The Noto Font Project updated their font with released unicode font support for the Pahawh Hmong. And just soon after, Apple added keyboard layout support for Pahawh Hmong in their 2023 macOS Sonoma update.



From handwriting to the iPhone

  • 1959
    Shong Lue Yang created the Pahawh in Vietnam
  • 1967
    Woodblock printing in Laos
  • 1978
    Rubber stamps in Honolulu
  • 1981
    Press-apply letters in North Carolina
  • 1982
    Manual typewriter in Minnesota
  • 1986
    Electronic typewriter in California
  • 1987
    Word processing program in Minnesota
  • 1990
    Computer font for Microsoft Windows
  • 2014
    Added to Unicode Standard (UCS)
  • 2022
    First Unicode font released by the Noto Font Project (Google)
  • 2023
    Keyboard layout support added by Apple for macOS Sonoma, iOS and iPadOS 17










𖬖𖬲𖬀 π–¬Œπ–¬€π–¬΅ π–¬˜π–¬²π–¬ž

Shong Lue Yang, the Mother of Writing

"I want all of them to be proud of Shong Lue Yang and his writΒ­ing system, regardless of how they choose to write their language."

William A. Smalley, in Mother of Writing: The Origin and Development of a Hmong Messianic Script






How do I start learning Pahawh Hmong?

𖬇 𖬑𖬀 π–¬Žπ–¬° 𖬇𖬲𖬧𖬡 𖬏𖬩𖬡 𖬖𖬲𖬝𖬡 π–¬„π–¬²π–¬Ÿ π–¬Œπ–¬£π–¬΅ 𖬅𖬰𖬧𖬡 π–¬ƒπ–¬°π–¬ž 𖬗𖬲𖬯𖬷


While this website don't have any resources you'd need to fully learn the Pahawh writing system from start to end, we do offer tools that can aid you in your learning journey.

You can start using the Sound Board to listen and learn the different Pahawh sounds. Get to know the Pahawh character symbols with the Flash Card tool. And, if you already know the Hmong RPA, You can use the Pahawh Converter to help you see the difference.





Recommend third-party resources:

Pahawh Hmong YouTube Video Series

A complete video series on learning the Pahawh Hmong (Hmong audio only).

Pahawh Book Series (Vol.1 & 2) attach_money

These first two book volumes introduce the basic structure of the Pahawh Hmong (text is only in Pahawh Hmong).







β€œYour language belongs to you, no one else can take away from you. No one can destroy it but you (the Hmong) only. By not speaking it, ignoring it, and not using it, your language will fade and disappear.”

β€”Father Yves Bertrais


In 1952, Father Yves Bertrais worked with G. Lindwood Barney and William A. Smalley to develop the Hmong RPA in Luang Prabang, Laos. Smalley reunited with the Hmong in Minnesota and later co-wrote The Mother of Writing with Chia Koua Vang and Gnia Yee Yang in 1990.




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