diff --git a/src/model/mod.rs b/src/model/mod.rs
index 8528f9a..303309f 100644
--- a/src/model/mod.rs
+++ b/src/model/mod.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 pub mod category;
 pub mod cell;
+pub mod symbol;
 pub mod types;
 
 pub use types::Model;
diff --git a/src/model/symbol.rs b/src/model/symbol.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65d5385
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/model/symbol.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+/// An interned string identifier. Copy-cheap, O(1) hash and equality.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq, Hash, PartialOrd, Ord)]
+pub struct Symbol(u64);
+
+/// Bidirectional string ↔ Symbol mapping.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
+pub struct SymbolTable {
+    to_id: HashMap<String, Symbol>,
+    to_str: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+impl SymbolTable {
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        Self::default()
+    }
+
+    /// Intern a string, returning its Symbol. Returns existing Symbol if
+    /// already interned.
+    pub fn intern(&mut self, s: &str) -> Symbol {
+        if let Some(&id) = self.to_id.get(s) {
+            return id;
+        }
+        let id = Symbol(self.to_str.len() as u64);
+        self.to_str.push(s.to_string());
+        self.to_id.insert(s.to_string(), id);
+        id
+    }
+
+    /// Look up the Symbol for a string without interning.
+    pub fn get(&self, s: &str) -> Option<Symbol> {
+        self.to_id.get(s).copied()
+    }
+
+    /// Resolve a Symbol back to its string.
+    pub fn resolve(&self, sym: Symbol) -> &str {
+        &self.to_str[sym.0 as usize]
+    }
+
+    /// Intern a (category, item) pair.
+    pub fn intern_pair(&mut self, cat: &str, item: &str) -> (Symbol, Symbol) {
+        (self.intern(cat), self.intern(item))
+    }
+
+    /// Intern a full coordinate list.
+    pub fn intern_coords(&mut self, coords: &[(String, String)]) -> Vec<(Symbol, Symbol)> {
+        coords.iter().map(|(c, i)| self.intern_pair(c, i)).collect()
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn intern_returns_same_id() {
+        let mut t = SymbolTable::new();
+        let a = t.intern("hello");
+        let b = t.intern("hello");
+        assert_eq!(a, b);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn different_strings_different_ids() {
+        let mut t = SymbolTable::new();
+        let a = t.intern("hello");
+        let b = t.intern("world");
+        assert_ne!(a, b);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn resolve_roundtrips() {
+        let mut t = SymbolTable::new();
+        let s = t.intern("test");
+        assert_eq!(t.resolve(s), "test");
+    }
+}