kirjoa

Kirjoa is a fictional writing system developed for the Kirjoa language in worldbuilding and speculative fiction. Created as part of a constructed world, it serves as the primary script used by the imagined cultures around the Kirjoa archipelago and its neighboring regions.

The script was designed to be both legible for learners and visually distinctive. It is an abugida-like system with a core set of consonant signs that carry an inherent vowel, while vowels are altered with diacritics or separate vowel signs. It allows ligatures for common consonant clusters and a compact typographic footprint for inscriptions and manuscripts.

Structure and features: Kirjoa is written left to right in horizontal lines. Base consonants form syllabic blocks, with vowels indicated by attached diacritics or vowel signs that connect to the consonant. The script includes a small inventory of numerals and punctuation marks, including a period, comma, question mark, and colon. Tone or stress is represented in some dialects using optional diacritics placed above or below the syllable.

Usage and cultural context: In the Kirjoa universe, the script is taught in schools, used in literature, official documents, and everyday writing. Several calligraphic styles exist, from formal court scripts to more cursive regional variants. Researchers and hobbyists share fonts, input methods, and historical inscriptions found on artifacts in in-world museums.