Umê script



Umê (, ; variant spellings include ume, u-me) is a semi-formal script used to write the Tibetan alphabet used for both calligraphy and shorthand. The name ume means "headless" and refers to its distinctive feature: the absence of the horizontal guide line ('head') across the top of the letters. Between syllables, the tseg mark often appears as a vertical stroke, rather than the shorter 'dot'-like mark in some other scripts. There are two main kinds of umê writing:


 * Drutsa, used for writing documents.
 * Bêtsug, used for writing scriptures.

Other Tibetan scripts include the upright block form, uchen and the everyday, handwritten cursive, gyug yig. The name of the block form, uchen means "with a head", corresponding to the presence of the horizontal guide line.