The Yddr language in its written form is based on a runic alphabet of approximately twenty-four characters (some regional variation exists), each representing a single phoneme. The runes' common names are not abstract, but instead consist of words exemplifying the character's sound, probably chosen for their simplicity or poetic value. Each is laden with symbolic significance, and the alphabet or futhark is prominent within the poetry and folk-magical traditions of the Yddr region.
For short, stylized content such as maker's marks or talismanic phrases, a small number of runes — most often only two or three — are often ligatured together to form a single glyph called a bindrune. These marks are sometimes incorporated into representative pictures on runestones or carved decorations, forming visual riddles or puns; the maker's mark of a knife, for example, might be inscribed around a central stave consisting of the blade's fuller.
Some minor regional variation exists within the runic alphabet. The names of the most common runes, and their meanings, are given below.
| Fe | cattle; wealth |
| Ur | rain |
| Thurn | thorn |
| Aesc | ash (tree) |
| Reid | ride; journey |
| Kaun | disease; ulcer |
| Geir | spear |
| Wynn | joy; merriment |
| Haegl | hail (weather) |
| Naudr | hardship; adversity |
| Is | ice; Isengrim (god) |
| Jar | year; season; harvest |
| Aewaz | yew (tree) |
| Peorth | fruit |
| Aolh | elk |
| Sol | sun |
| Tew | Terian Rose (god) |
| Ber | victory; Berove Quor (god) |
| Ehwo | horse |
| Mannr | human; person |
| Laugr | water; lake |
| Kung | king (represents an ng sound) |
| Odal | property; heritage |
| Dagaz | day |
