Khitan small-script character

The sound is disputed; “oh” is one proposal.

Published readings disagree: “oh” is one value, while others give “ɑku/ku,” “o/ɑk,” and “aq.” These are researchers’ Latin-letter attempts to represent an ancient Khitan sound, not translations; “oh” is not the English interjection.

When did Khitan small script take shape?

It was designed to write Khitan, but its start date is debated.

Traditional accounts credit the Khitan prince Yelü Diela with creating the small script around 925. A 2026 study argues it became established later, citing 1051 as the earliest securely dated surviving inscription.

Its forms draw on Chinese characters, while tradition links its sound-based design to the Uyghur alphabet. Khitan small script worked alongside a separate large script, continued under the Jin dynasty, and later informed the Jurchen people’s writing.

How does 𘲋 fit into a Khitan word?

Sound signs usually form compact word blocks.

Most Khitan phonograms combine two to eight signs into one word block, read left to right and then top to bottom. A font may show 𘲋 alone yet lack the special layout needed to assemble those clusters.