Uhjayi script is a phonetic system that uses a symbol for each vowel-sound and each consonant-sound; these symbols are combined as roots (which are single vowels, consonant-vowel pairs, or consonant-vowel-consonant syllables), which each have a distinct meaning. (See Syntax for more about the root system.)
Each symbol consists of one line (straight or C-curved) with one, two, or no dots/marks at the end(s) of the line. Root symbols are formed by combining the sound symbols into one larger symbol. For example, a straight horizontal line with no dots [DH] + a straight vertical line with two dots [A] + an up-curved horizontal with a left-dot [K] = [DHAK]. All lines would overlap in a left-to-right series, giving the reader the correct sequence of sounds for the root. How the sound symbols are combined to form the root symbol will vary slightly between scribes, but the order will remain constant in order to form the correct root.
Base Sounds (9+22=31): A, E, EH, I, IH, O, U, UH, Y || CH, D, DH, F, G, H, J, JH, K, KH, L, M, N, R, RH, S, SH, T, TH, V, Y, Z
There is no capitalization in this script, and punctuation consists of a line break between sentences. Spacing takes the place of emphasizing marks such as italics or underlining, as well as exclamation points or ellipses. For this reason, single-symbol modifiers can be considered a part of a word. The closer a modifier to its subject, the more important or emphasized it is, and the more likely it will be considered a part of the subject word. The more compact the symbols of a sentence, the more emphasis on what is being conveyed; the more regular the spacing between words, the more neutral or formal the message; and the farther apart the spacing, the more uncertain or hesitant the message.
For the purposes of correct pronunciation among those reading Uhjayi written with English characters, hyphens will be employed between two vowels. For example, sa-u is said as ‘sah-oo’, not ‘sow’ as sau might suggest.
Base Symbols
Note: [direction]-curve indicates the direction that the curve opens into; e.g., an up-curve would be U-shaped. [direction]-[direction] indicates the direction of the diagonal straight line from left to right; e.g., / would be a down-up line and would be an up-down line.
A: up-curve, no dots
E: up-curve, right dot
EH: horizontal line, right dot
I: horizontal line, both dots
IH: horizontal line, no dots
O: down-curve, no dots
U: right-curve, both dots
UH: right-curve, no dots
Y: down-up line, both dots
CH: horizontal line, left dot
D: left-curve, top dot
DH: down-curve, right dot
F: down-up line, top dot
G: vertical line, top dot
H: up-down line, no dots
J: vertical line, bottom dot
JH: left-curve, both dots
K: vertical line, both dots
KH: up-down line, top dot
L: down-up line, no dots
M: down-curve, left dot
N: up-curve, left dot
R: up-down line, both dots
RH: left-curve, no dots
S: down-up line, bottom dot
SH: up-curve, both dots
T: up-down line, bottom dot
TH: left-curve, bottom dot
V: right-curve, top dot
Y: down-curve, both dots
Z: right-curve, bottom dot