Shii

Shii is a term that may refer to several distinct concepts. In religious contexts, Shii is an alternate transliteration of Shi'i, used in English to denote a follower of Shia Islam. The more standard spelling in scholarly writing is Shi'i or Shia, but Shii appears in some texts or casual usage where apostrophes are omitted. Shi'ism represents one of the two main branches of Islam and centers on the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad's family, particularly Ali and the Imams. Shi'i communities are found in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and various regions of South Asia and the Middle East.

Beyond religious usage, Shii can function as a personal name or surname in some cultures, reflecting the broader phenomenon of transliteration variability across languages. Because transliteration maps sounds from different alphabets into Latin letters in multiple ways, the form Shii may appear alongside other spellings for the same name or term.

In all cases, the precise meaning of Shii depends on context. Without accompanying information, the term could refer to a religious designation, a name, or a transliteration variant. When parsing sources, it is helpful to note the spelling conventions used (such as the presence of an apostrophe in Shi'i) to determine the intended reference.

See also: Shi'i, Shia Islam, Shi'ism.