Nushu: The secret language men don’t know

Source: The post is based on the article “Nushu: The secret language men don’t know” published in BBC on 8th November 2022.

What is the News?

BBC Culture’s Secret Languages series has described the significance of the Nushu language.

What is Nushu?

Nushu literally means “the script of women”. It is a secret language invented 400 years ago in China’s Hunan province.

Purpose: This language allowed women to communicate with each other without men’s understanding.

– This language was developed as a way to allow women to communicate with one another in confidence. To some extent, this demand came from a desire for privacy as it allowed women a forum for communication in a society that was dominated by a male-orientated social culture.

Significance: Nushu language script is being preserved as a cultural artefact as it meant much more to its practitioners – and its role is still important today.