What 𘰂 means
Its sound value works inside a Khitan word. Kane (2009) and Wu & Janhunen (2010) list its value as bu. Khitan phonograms (sound signs) usually form short word clusters; read signs left to right, then down. Text columns run downward from the right.
The script outlived the Liao dynasty
It was made to write the Khitan language. Tradition credits Yelü Diela, brother of Khitan ruler Abaoji, and dates the script's creation around 925. Accounts link it to Uyghur writing, though the scripts look different; the separate Khitan Large Script dates around 920. A 2026 study challenges that date, arguing for later formalization; the earliest securely dated surviving small-script inscription is from 1051. Jurchen rulers used Khitan scripts under Jin until an edict in 1191; Jurchen writing drew on Khitan models.
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Who writes 𘰂
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Questions people ask
1Why does 𘰂 show as a box on some devices?
It is recent: Unicode added it in version 13.0 (2020), and phones and computers whose fonts are older than that have nothing to draw it with. The character itself is still correct and copies correctly.
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How to type or find 𘰂
- Search it as
- khitan bu · bu sign
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𘰂\18C02Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.