Sini (script)

Sini (from Arabic: ٱلْخَطُ ٱلصِّينِيُّ, Al-khaṭ as-ṣīnī, lit. 'The Chinese script') is a calligraphic style used in China for the Arabic script. While Sini Script can refer to any type of Arabic Calligraphy influenced by Chinese Calligraphy, it exists on a spectrum in which the amount of Chinese influence increases as it is found further East. While Sini script resembles thuluth script, it is adapted to local styles in Chinese Mosques. Although Sini script exists on a broad spectrum, the most well-known form of Sini script, standardized during the Ming Dynasty, is characterized by its "round, flowing" Arabic letters featuring the "tapered" style more commonly found in Chinese calligraphy. It is also characterized by its thick horizontal and fine vertical strokes, a result that is due to the use of a brush rather than a qalam, which is the traditional writing pen for Islamic calligraphy.

One notable Sini calligrapher is Hajji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang (b. 1963).