Dongba symbols
| Dongba | |
|---|---|
| Script type | Pictographic
|
Period | At least 30 CE to the present |
| Direction | Left-to-right |
| Languages | Naxi language |
| ISO 15924 | |
| ISO 15924 | Nkdb (085), Naxi Dongba (na²¹ɕi³³ to³³ba²¹, Nakhi Tomba) |
The Dongba, Tomba or Tompa or Mo-so symbols are a system of pictographic glyphs used by the ²dto¹mba (Bon priests) of the Naxi people in southern China. In the Naxi language it is called ²ss ³dgyu 'wood records' or ²lv ³dgyu 'stone records'. The first artifacts with this script on them originate from approximately 30 CE.
The glyphs may be used as rebuses for abstract words which do not have glyphs. Dongba is largely a mnemonic system, and cannot by itself represent the Naxi language; different authors may use the same glyphs with different meanings, and it may be supplemented with the geba syllabary for clarification.