Checklist: ISO language scripts
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Checklist: ISO Language Scripts
Languages use different visual symbols to transfer meaning. From hieroglyphs to emojis, the most common type of writing script is the alphabet.
Different types of language scripts
Linguists divide language scripts into specific groups by the type of symbols the speakers use.
- Pictographic/ideographic writing systems
- Syllabary
- Alphabets
Alphabets are writing systems in which a single symbol represents an individual sound. Different alphabets can be grouped based on its similarities - for example, some alphabets have only consonants or vowels, others have both, etc.
Some languages have dual alphabets - this means that the language users can use two different writing scripts or alphabets. This is called digraphia.
ISO 15924 Language Script Codes
The International Organization for Standardization created the official international standard for language codes (ISO 639-1, ISO 639-2, ISO 639-3), but also an international set of codes for defining writing scripts - the ISO 15924 system. This allows us to narrow down the language used in the text and specific script.
ISO 15924 Language Script List
The ISO codes for language scripts are displayed below.
| ISO Code | Language | ISO Code | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adlm | Adlam | Mand | Mandaic, Mandaean |
| Afak | Afaka | Mani | Manichaean |
| Aghb | Caucasian Albanian | Marc | Marchen |
| Ahom | Ahom, Tai Ahom | Maya | Mayan hieroglyphs |
| Arab | Arabic | Medf | Medefaidrin (Oberi Okaime, Oberi Ɔkaimɛ) |
| Aran | Arabic (Nastaliq variant) | Mend | Mende Kikakui |
| Armi | Imperial Aramaic | Merc | Meroitic Cursive |
| Armn | Armenian | Mero | Meroitic Hieroglyphs |
| Avst | Avestan | Mlym | Malayalam |
| Bali | Balinese | Modi | Modi, Moḍī |
| Bamu | Bamum | Mong | Mongolian |
| Bass | Bassa Vah | Moon | Moon (Moon code, Moon script, Moon type) |
| Batk | Batak | Mroo | Mro, Mru |
| Beng | Bengali (Bangla) | Mtei | Meitei Mayek (Meithei, Meetei) |
| Bhks | Bhaiksuki | Mult | Multani |
| Blis | Blissymbols | Mymr | Myanmar (Burmese) |
| Bopo | Bopomofo | Nand | Nandinagari |
| Brah | Brahmi | Narb | Old North Arabian (Ancient North Arabian) |
| Brai | Braille | Nbat | Nabataean |
| Bugi | Buginese | Newa | Newa, Newar, Newari, Nepāla lipi |
| Buhd | Buhid | Nkdb | Naxi Dongba |
| Cakm | Chakma | Nkgb | Nakhi Geba |
| Cans | Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics | Nkoo | N'Ko |
| Cari | Carian | Nshu | Nüshu |
| Cham | Cham | Ogam | Ogham |
| Cher | Cherokee | Olck | Ol Chiki (Ol Cemet', Ol, Santali) |
| Chrs | Chorasmian | Orkh | Old Turkic, Orkhon Runic |
| Cirt | Cirth | Orya | Oriya (Odia) |
| Copt | Coptic | Osge | Osage |
| Cpmn | Cypro-Minoan | Osma | Osmanya |
| Cprt | Cypriot syllabary | Palm | Palmyrene |
| Cyrl | Cyrillic | Pauc | Pau Cin Hau |
| Cyrs | Cyrillic (Old Church Slavonic variant) | Perm | Old Permic |
| Deva | Devanagari (Nagari) | Phag | Phags-pa |
| Diak | Dives Akuru | Phli | Inscriptional Pahlavi |
| Dogr | Dogra | Phlp | Psalter Pahlavi |
| Dsrt | Deseret (Mormon) | Phlv | Book Pahlavi |
| Dupl | Duployan shorthand, Duployan stenography | Phnx | Phoenician |
| Egyd | Egyptian demotic | Piqd | Klingon (KLI pIqaD) |
| Egyh | Egyptian hieratic | Plrd | Miao (Pollard) |
| Egyp | Egyptian hieroglyphs | Prti | Inscriptional Parthian |
| Elba | Elbasan | Qaaa | Reserved for private use (start) |
| Elym | Elymaic | Qaai | (Private use) |
| Ethi | Ethiopic (Geʻez) | Qabx | Reserved for private use (end) |
| Geok | Khutsuri (Asomtavruli and Nuskhuri) | Rjng | Rejang (Redjang, Kaganga) |
| Geor | Georgian (Mkhedruli and Mtavruli) | Rohg | Hanifi Rohingya |
| Glag | Glagolitic | Roro | Rongorongo |
| Gong | Gunjala Gondi | Runr | Runic |
| Gonm | Masaram Gondi | Samr | Samaritan |
| Goth | Gothic | Sara | Sarati |
| Gran | Grantha | Sarb | Old South Arabian |
| Grek | Greek | Saur | Saurashtra |
| Gujr | Gujarati | Sgnw | SignWriting |
| Guru | Gurmukhi | Shaw | Shavian (Shaw) |
| Hanb | Han with Bopomofo (alias for Han + Bopomofo) | Shrd | Sharada, Śāradā |
| Hang | Hangul (Hangŭl, Hangeul) | Shui | Shuishu |
| Hani | Han (Hanzi, Kanji, Hanja) | Sidd | Siddham, Siddhaṃ, Siddhamātṛkā |
| Hano | Hanunoo (Hanunóo) | Sind | Khudawadi, Sindhi |
| Hans | Han (Simplified variant) | Sinh | Sinhala |
| Hant | Han (Traditional variant) | Sogd | Sogdian |
| Hatr | Hatran | Sogo | Old Sogdian |
| Hebr | Hebrew | Sora | Sora Sompeng |
| Hira | Hiragana | Soyo | Soyombo |
| Hluw | Anatolian Hieroglyphs (Luwian Hieroglyphs, Hittite Hieroglyphs) | Sund | Sundanese |
| Hmng | Pahawh Hmong | Sylo | Syloti Nagri |
| Hmnp | Nyiakeng Puachue Hmong | Syrc | Syriac |
| Hrkt | Japanese syllabaries (alias for Hiragana + Katakana) | Syre | Syriac (Estrangelo variant) |
| Hung | Old Hungarian (Hungarian Runic) | Syrj | Syriac (Western variant) |
| Inds | Indus (Harappan) | Syrn | Syriac (Eastern variant) |
| Ital | Old Italic (Etruscan, Oscan, etc.) | Tagb | Tagbanwa |
| Jamo | Jamo (alias for Jamo subset of Hangul) | Takr | Takri, Ṭākrī, Ṭāṅkrī |
| Java | Javanese | Tale | Tai Le |
| Jpan | Japanese (alias for Han + Hiragana + Katakana) | Talu | New Tai Lue |
| Jurc | Jurchen | Taml | Tamil |
| Kali | Kayah Li | Tang | Tangut |
| Kana | Katakana | Tavt | Tai Viet |
| Khar | Kharoshthi | Telu | Telugu |
| Khmr | Khmer | Teng | Tengwar |
| Khoj | Khojki | Tfng | Tifinagh (Berber) |
| Kitl | Khitan large script | Tglg | Tagalog (Baybayin, Alibata) |
| Kits | Khitan small script | Thaa | Thaana |
| Knda | Kannada | Thai | Thai |
| Kore | Korean (alias for Hangul + Han) | Tibt | Tibetan |
| Kpel | Kpelle | Tirh | Tirhuta |
| Kthi | Kaithi | Ugar | Ugaritic |
| Lana | Tai Tham (Lanna) | Vaii | Vai |
| Laoo | Lao | Visp | Visible Speech |
| Latf | Latin (Fraktur variant) | Wara | Warang Citi (Varang Kshiti) |
| Latg | Latin (Gaelic variant) | Wcho | Wancho |
| Latn | Latin | Wole | Woleai |
| Leke | Leke | Xpeo | Old Persian |
| Lepc | Lepcha (Róng) | Xsux | Cuneiform, Sumero-Akkadian |
| Limb | Limbu | Yezi | Yezidi |
| Lina | Linear A | Yiii | Yi |
| Linb | Linear B | Zanb | Zanabazar Square |
| Lisu | Lisu (Fraser) | Zinh | Code for inherited script |
| Loma | Loma | Zmth | Mathematical notation |
| Lyci | Lycian | Zsym | Symbols |
| Lydi | Lydian | Zsye | Symbols (emoji variant) |
| Mahj | Mahajani | Zxxx | Code for unwritten documents |
| Maka | Makasar | Zyyy | Code for undetermined script |
| Zzzz | Code for uncoded script |