Khitan small-script character

Only tentatively.

Wu Yingzhe and András Róna-Tas discuss this sign as ta, but also say the reference index gives it no confirmed reading. They cite taġa, glossed as “tent, lineage, clan,” but that is a proposed word reading, not proof that 𘰝 by itself means “tent.”

How did Khitan small script work?

It was developed to write the Khitan language.

Yelü Diela developed it around 925. It served for inscriptions, histories, poetry, translations, examinations, and official records. Some signs represented whole words; others represented sounds, and several sound signs could cluster together to spell one word.

Its shapes drew on Chinese characters, while its design is said to have taken inspiration from Uyghur writing, despite few visible similarities. Khitan small script continued into the Jin period and informed later Jurchen writing; its use ended around 1191. Stone epitaphs are a major source for studying it.

Why can 𘰝 look separate from a word?

A single glyph can be one part of a word block.

Traditional Khitan writing ran vertically in columns, grouping sound signs into words. A horizontal linear display may show characters one by one instead; without support for arranging Khitan clusters, the word structure can disappear.