Braille script used in Taiwan for Standard Mandarin
⠅⠒⠂⠳⠈⠀⠙⠞⠈⠓⠱⠐
Script type
Semisyllabary
Print basis
Zhuyin
Languages
Standard Mandarin
Related scripts
Parent systems
Night writing
Braille
Taiwanese Braille
Taiwanese Braille is the braille script used in Taiwan for Taiwanese Mandarin (Guoyu).[1] Although based marginally on international braille, most consonants have been reassigned;[2] also, like Chinese Braille, Taiwanese Braille is a semi-syllabary.
An example is,
國
語
點
字
記
號
ㄍ
ㄨㄛ
ˊ
ㄩ
ˇ
ㄉ
ㄧㄢ
ˇ
ㄗ
ㄭ
ˋ
ㄐ
ㄧ
ˋ
ㄏ
ㄠ
ˋ
guó
yǔ
diǎn
zì
jì
hào
Charts
Initials
Zhuyin
ㄅ
ㄆ
ㄇ
ㄈ
ㄉ
ㄊ
ㄋ
ㄌ
ㄍ
ㄎ
ㄏ
ㄐ
ㄑ
ㄒ
ㄓ
ㄔ
ㄕ
ㄖ
ㄗ
ㄘ
ㄙ
Pinyin
b
p
m
f
d
t
n
l
g
k
h
j
q
x
zh
ch
sh
r
z
c
s
Braille
The braille letters for zhuyin/pinyin ㄍ g (/k/), ㄘ c (/tsʰ/), and ㄙ s (/s/) double for the alveolo-palatal consonants ㄐ j (/tɕ/), ㄑ q (/tɕʰ/), and ㄒ x (/ɕ/).[3] The latter are followed by close front vowels, namely ㄧ i (/i/) and ㄩ ü (/y/), so the distinction between g, c, s (or z, k, h) and j, q, x in zhuyin and pinyin is redundant.
Medial + rime
Each medial + rime in zhuyin is written with a single letter in braille.
Zhuyin
/ㄦ
ㄚ
ㄛ
ㄜ
ㄝ
ㄞ
ㄟ
ㄠ
ㄡ
ㄢ
ㄣ
ㄤ
ㄥ
Pinyin
-i/er
a
o
e
ê
ai
ei
ao
ou
an
en
ang
eng
Braille
Zhuyin
ㄧ
ㄧㄚ
ㄧㄛ
ㄧㄝ
ㄧㄞ
ㄧㄠ
ㄧㄡ
ㄧㄢ
ㄧㄣ
ㄧㄤ
ㄧㄥ
Pinyin
i
ia
io
ie
iai
iao
iu
ian
in
iang
ing
Braille
Zhuyin
ㄨ
ㄨㄚ
ㄨㄛ
ㄨㄞ
ㄨㄟ
ㄨㄢ
ㄨㄣ
ㄨㄤ
ㄨㄥ
Pinyin
u
ua
uo
uai
ui
uan
un
uang
ong
Braille
Zhuyin
ㄩ
ㄩㄝ
ㄩㄢ
ㄩㄣ
ㄩㄥ
Pinyin
ü
üe
üan
ün
iong
Braille
⠱ is used for both the empty rime -i ([ɨ]), which is not written in zhuyin, and the rime ㄦ er ([ɐɚ]). See for example 斯 sī (⠑⠱⠄) located above the word Daguerre in the image at right.
Tone Marks
Tone:
1
2
3
4
0
Zhuyin
—
ˊ
ˇ
ˋ
˙
Pinyin
ˉ
ˊ
ˇ
ˋ
—
Braille
⠄
⠂
⠈
⠐
⠁
Tone is always marked.[4] This includes toneless syllables such as 了 le, rendered ⠉⠮⠁lė in the image above-right.
^Only p m d n g c a e ê ü (from p m d n k j ä è dropped-e ü) approximate the French norm. Other letters have been reassigned so that the sets of letters in groups such as d t n l and g k h are similar in shape.
^[sic] One might expect ㄐ j (/tɕ/) to pair with ㄗ z (/ts/), by analogy with the others. Compare here, where the character 學 xué is rendered ⠑⠦⠂ "süé". Historically it could have been either. The principal behind the assignments seems to be that, of the historically appropriate pairs of letters g~z, k~c, and h~s, the letter with the fewer dots is used for j, q, x.