Khitan qa

It names a ruler in Khitan. Scholars represent its reading with the Latin letters qa; English glosses the title as “khan” or “emperor.”

An eighth-century Tibetan manuscript records an earlier form of the Khitan title for “king” in Tibetan letters. In a 1134 Jin inscription, 𘭅 begins 𘭅𘭂𘬐, qaha-n (“of the khan”), in a phrase about a ruler’s younger brother.

It was made to write Khitan

Khitan Small Script was created around 925 CE, traditionally credited to Yelü Diela, to write the Khitan language. It was one of two scripts used for Khitan, mixing signs for whole words with signs for sounds, often grouped in clusters. Accounts say it drew inspiration from Uyghur writing, though their forms differ.

It was used in the Liao, Qara Khitai (Western Liao), and Jin periods. Many surviving examples are epitaphs—inscriptions on stone tablets buried with Khitan rulers and nobles.