A Universal Visual Language
Created by Charles K. Bliss in the 1940s, Bliss Symbolics is a semantic writing system where simple geometric shapes combine to represent meanings directly—not sounds or words from any spoken language. Like building blocks, a small set of elements creates thousands of concepts.
The foundation: simple shapes that carry core meanings
Small marks that modify meaning
Elements join together logically to create new meanings
Where elements sit relative to each other changes meaning
Feelings are expressed by combining the heart symbol with direction and intensity
Past, present, and future are shown with position markers
Turning statements into questions and expressing "not"
Family, roles, and connections between people
Elements of the natural world
Common verbs and activities
How symbols string together to form complete thoughts
Charles K. Bliss (1897–1985) was born Karl Kasiel Blitz in Austria-Hungary. A Jewish refugee who survived the concentration camps, he witnessed firsthand how language barriers and nationalist ideologies fueled hatred and war.
Inspired by Chinese characters—where people speaking mutually unintelligible dialects could still communicate through writing—Bliss spent years developing a universal visual language. He called it Semantography: writing based on meaning, not sound.
His dream was ambitious: a second written language for all humanity, transcending the barriers of spoken tongues. He published his system in 1949, but it was largely ignored.
Then in 1971, a team at the Ontario Crippled Children's Centre (now Holland Bloorview) discovered his work. They realized Bliss symbols were perfect for children with cerebral palsy who couldn't speak—the logical, visual system was easier to learn than traditional writing.
The irony: Bliss had envisioned his symbols uniting humanity across cultures. Instead, they became a powerful tool for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), giving voice to those who had none. He was initially bitter about this "limited" use, but eventually came to appreciate the profound impact his work had on individual lives.
Today, Blissymbols are used worldwide in AAC, and the system contains over 5,000 authorized symbols managed by Blissymbolics Communication International.