蕯

Usually, yes: ordinary writing uses 薩 or 萨. A Chinese variant dictionary lists 蕯 as a variant spelling of 薩 for the Mandarin syllable sà, pronounced roughly “sah” with falling pitch; another dictionary labels that reading erroneous. 薩 is the standard traditional form, and 萨 is its simplified counterpart.

蕯 is not recorded in Shuowen, an early Chinese dictionary. A separate dictionary preserves the reading lóng, roughly “loong” with rising pitch, in the Northern Qi (550–577) personal name 步大汗蕯.

薩 also appears in 菩薩, the Buddhist term for a bodhisattva, and in the Japanese name 薩摩. Those are uses of 薩, not separate everyday meanings of 蕯.

What does 蕯 mean when someone sends it?

In an ordinary message, read it as an unusual spelling of 薩. The sender may have selected the wrong character or reproduced a nonstandard spelling. In the Buddhist word 菩薩, the final character is the standard 薩.

An exact instance of 步大汗蕯 is different: there, 蕯 belongs to a historical personal name and is read lóng, roughly “loong” with rising pitch.