MHD CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
Part of Learner's Maya Glyph Guide
Original version in Table 4 of: Macri, M. and Looper, M., The New Catalog of Maya Hieroglyphs, Volume One: The Classic Period Inscriptions. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2003. Available only in print.
This version based on
MHD Reference Materials 1: Preliminary Revised Glyph Catalog. Glyph Dwellers report #71, Jan. 2022,
adapted (reformatted and some mnemonics added) by John Pedersen and Sim Lee, November 2024.
Note: The third character is arbitrarily assigned 1,2,..,9,A,..,F. In some cases a fourth character is added, which is an arbitrary lowercase letter a,b,c,... except that "s" is reserved for glyph forms that are used only for syllables (syllabograms). (However, some syllabograms have just regular three-character or a,b,c,... part naming.) If the glyph form can occur as both a logogram and a syllabogram, then the suffix may be, for example, a/s.
Note also that not only the first, but also the second letter is often mnemonic, reflecting usually the first letter of the English
-- or sometimes, for lack of letters, Spanish (indicated below in italics) -- description for the subclass they represent.
- A. Animals (fauna except birds and humans)
- AA_ fish, amphibian (aquatic)
- AB_ supernatural/skeletal snake
- AC_ snake (culebra)
- AD_ serpent/reptile pattern
- AK_ turtle (AK, sometimes spelled AAK or AHK, is turtle in Maya)
- AL_ lizard
- AM_ monkey
- AP_ dog, rodent (perro)
- AR_ rabbit
- AS_ elongated snout
- AT_ jaguar (tigre)
- AV_ deer (venado) (or think of venison)
- AW_ bat (hanging upside-down has W shape)
- AX_ unidentified
- B. Birds
- BM_ miscellaneous
- BP_ parrot
- BT_ owl (tecolote)
- BV_ vulture
- BX_ unidentified
- H. (Human) Body parts (except heads and hands)
- HB_ bound hair
- HE_ eye
- HH_ bone (hueso)
- HJ_ jaw
- HL_ leg
- HM_ male genitals
- HT_ torso
- M. Hands (human or monkey hands) (Manos)
- MA_ open
- MB_ both
- MR_ right
- MZ_ left (iZquierdo)
- P. People's faces (faces that have human characteristics)
- PA_ aged
- PC_ mixed faces (cara)
- PD_ "percentage" motif
- PE_ decoration of eye
- PG_ droplets (gotas)
- PH_ hidden eye
- PJ_ Ajaw-type
- PL_ "IL" motif
- PM_ object in mouth
- PN_ darkening
- PT_ headdress (tocado)
- PX_ facing right, upward or front
- PY_ "XIB" type
- S. Supernatural faces, skulls (faces with enlarged eyes and other exaggerated or mixed human and animal characteristics)
- SB_ bird
- SC_ skull (calavera)
- SD_ skull, compound
- SE_ skull with elaborated eye
- SG_ God C-related
- SJ_ jawless skull
- SM_ skull with mirror/"shiny" marking
- SN_ human nose
- SR_ Chahk-related
- SS_ non-human nose
- ST_ jaguar (tigre)
- X. Square symmetrical signs
- XD_ design or pattern
- XE_ Imix-type
- XF_ floral, rosette
- XG_ droplets (gotas)
- XH_ horizontal division
- XN_ "black"-related (negro)
- XQ_ quadripartite
- XS_ spiral or curved
- XV_ vertical division
- Y. Square asymmetrical signs
- YG_ droplets (gotas)
- YM_ mirror/"shiny"
- YS_ spiral or curved
- Z. Signs with irregular shapes
- ZA_ "Ajaw-face"-related
- ZB_ bundle
- ZC_ "kawak" ("cauac" is old spelling of Maya word "kawak")
- ZD_ design or pattern
- ZE_ "elbow" shape
- ZF_ foliation
- ZG_ droplets (gotas)
- ZH_ horizontal division
- ZK_ "K'IN"-related
- ZL_ Kaban-related
- ZM_ mirror/"shiny" marking
- ZP_ contrastive pair
- ZQ_ quadripartite
- ZR_ rolled/curled
- ZS_ spiral, twisted
- ZT_ gourd (tzu syllabogram in Maya represents a gourd vine)
- ZU_ U-shaped, crescent
- ZV_ vase, urn
- ZW_ plate
- ZX_ compound
- ZY_ notched
- ZZ_ cartouche, multiple notches
- 0 (followed by two digits): Bar/dot numerals [000='eroded']
- 1. Elongated, single element
- 1B_ bundle
- 1C_ "KAWAK" (old spelling of Maya word is "CAUAC")
- 1G_ droplets (gotas)
- 1M_ mirror/"shiny"
- 1S_ S-shape, curved
- 1X_ miscellaneous
- 2. Elongated, two elements
- 22_ two identical components
- 2G_ droplets (gotas)
- 2M_ mixed
- 2S_ S-shape, curved
- 3. Elongated, three or more elements
- 32_ two identical components
- 33_ three identical components
- 3M_ mixed