17 yrs ago today, I released a #Baybayin chart still shared today. This June 12, 2026, for #Philippines Independence Day, I'm releasing another language script for my fellow Filipinos: #SuratInawa or The Living Script!
Baybayin for "sarimanok" aka Philippine "phoenix" is ᜐᜇᜒᜋᜈᜓᜃ᜔
c/o
https://baybayintranslator.net/
cc:
@Jaywebbs
#digitalart #sarimanok #baybayin #PhilippinePhoenix #phoenix
@paulk my pleasure!
@tim
posted about #baybayin previously
cf. https://mastodon.social/@Endangeredalphabets/115077660097548667
New to Baybayin? Here's your quick start.
Baybayin is a precolonial Filipino script used from the 14th to 19th century. It’s an abugida: a type of syllabary where each character represents a consonant + vowel sound.
To write words, break them into syllables by sound.
Example: “Cristina” → Kris. Tin. Na → ᜃ᜔ᜇᜒᜐ᜔ᜆᜒᜈ
Baybayin has 3 vowel characters (A, E/I, O/U) and 14 consonants.
Each consonant defaults to “A” unless marked.
Use kudlit marks to change vowels:
• Above = “E” or “I”
• Below = “O” or “U”
Use the virama to cancel the vowel — a modern addition for closed syllables like “Kris.”
Baybayin reflects spoken Filipino, not English spelling.
It’s a living script — found in art, passports, and even currency.
How to write (my formal name) “Cristina” in #Baybayin
Baybayin is a precolonial Filipino script.
It’s a syllabary, so each symbol stands for a syllable, not a letter.
To write “Cristina,” we break it down by sound: Kris. Tin. Na
📝 In Baybayin:
ᜃ᜔ᜇᜒᜐ᜔ ᜆᜒᜈ᜔
- Kris → ᜃ᜔ (K) + ᜇᜒ (Ri) + ᜐ᜔ (S)
- Tin → ᜆᜒ (Ti) + ᜈ᜔ (N)
- Na → ᜈ (Na)
💡 The virama mark cancels the vowel sound (a modern tweak for closed syllables).
I’m writing this as a calligraphy exercise for my journals at home, and sharing here as a guide for others exploring Baybayin.
@youronlyone I went ahead and created a new image with the correct final #baybayin character, uploaded it to #WikimediaCommons, and updated almost #Wikipedia references to the original wrong image.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikipedia_in_baybayin.webp
Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한 謝雪矢
Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한🦣
Crissy Bliss
Eugene Alvin Villar 🇵🇭