Tangut Component-300

𘤫 is a structural part used to analyze Tangut characters.

Scholars use Tangut components to index characters in dictionaries and describe how they are built. The name “Component-300” is a modern sequential Unicode label, not a historical Tangut word or reading. Its role depends on the complete Tangut character it appears in, and scholars use different component inventories.

Emperor Li Yuanhao ordered the Tangut script’s creation in 1036 as part of building the Western Xia state; producing a Tangut Buddhist canon, a collection of sacred Buddhist writings, was likely a central aim. The creators followed neighboring Khitan rulers, whose two scripts were established about a century earlier. Tangut’s shapes and character-building principles were influenced by Chinese writing, though the script did not derive from it. Tangut texts also include translated Chinese classics, military works, and literature. A manuscript fragment found at Khara-Khoto in Inner Mongolia probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century; the latest known Tangut writings are Buddhist inscriptions dated 1502.

Why does 𘤫 look different in different fonts?

The Unicode character stays the same while fonts draw its shape differently.

As of 2023, Tangut Yinchuan straightened the left leg of 𘤫 to better match forms in two historical Tangut dictionaries, Homophones and Sea of Writing. This was a font revision; the character’s encoded identity did not change.