Khitan Small Script character 18B01

The Unicode label identifies it, but does not give a Khitan reading.

The script has signs for words and signs for sounds; sound signs usually cluster into whole words. A lone glyph may need its inscription context to make sense.

When was Khitan Small Script created?

Traditional accounts place its creation around 925.

A 2026 study argues for later systematization, citing a 1051 epitaph as the earliest securely dated survivor. Designed to write Khitan, it served the Liao, Qara Khitai and Jin until official use ended in 1191. Its forms drew on Chinese characters; accounts also link it to the Uyghur script, though the two look different. Jurchen writers later adapted Khitan models.