Khitan na phonogram

𘲤 is a sound sign in Khitan small script, a writing system for the historical Khitan language; specialists reconstruct its value as na. It usually joins other signs to spell a word, rather than carrying a full English-word translation by itself.

Text symbol

What 𘲤 means

To write Khitan in a form better suited to its word endings.

The script took shape around 925 CE, traditionally credited to Yelü Diela. It reportedly drew inspiration from writing used by the Turkic-speaking Uyghurs, while borrowing forms from Chinese characters. Khitan words take endings, which the earlier large script handled less conveniently; the small script combined logograms (signs for words) with phonograms (signs for sounds).

Both scripts served Khitan side by side under the Liao dynasty. Small script also continued under the Qara Khitai (Western Liao) and Jin dynasties, appearing on tomb epitaphs and monuments and in records, poems, histories, translations and exams. As of 2026, scholars have reconstructed many sound values, but many remain unknown.

Part of the collection

𘬣

Khitan Small Script

Who writes 𘲤

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Questions people ask

Why does 𘲤 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.