Hylian Language

The Hylian written language is derived from Japanese hiragana, katakana, and romaji. The script is syllabic or more precisely moraic, and each symbol represents either a vowel, consonant-vowel combination, or a syllable final n.

Note that the character set and structure of the written language has changed very much. The Hylian text in The Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time is easier and less complex than the one used in Wind Waker. The OoT version of the script made no distinction between voiced and voiceless consonants, palatalised consonants and geminate consonants. The WW version of the script makes all these distinctions. Also the WW script is more suited to being written with a brush whereas the old script was more angular, suited to being carved on stone.

The script used in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is not the same as Wind Waker's, according to Japanese Zelda fans who have seen the Hylian in current Twilight Princess footage.

The Hylian Text was uniquely different in the Japanese and English versions of A Link to the Past.

For more information on Hylian writing see Old Hylian and Modern Hylian on the website Omniglot

For more information on Hylian writing see Old Hylian and Modern Hylian on the website Omniglot