Tangut component 428

It labels an enclosing part in a Tangut character formula.

In manuscript C of the Combined Edition of Homophones and Sea of Writing, a Tangut reference work on sounds and characters, 𘦫 abbreviates 𘍞, the Tangut character for the “surrounding” position. Its four-part formula describes how another character is built.

Read 𘦫 as a structure label; by itself, it is not an ordinary Tangut word.

When was the Tangut script created?

The Tangut script was created in 1036 as a state project.

Also called the Xixia script, it was ordered by Emperor Li Yuanhao for his kingdom. Its purposes included a Tangut version of the Buddhist canon, the collected Buddhist scriptures, and a distinct identity alongside Song China. Its characters drew on Chinese writing traditions but were designed for Tangut.

The script’s 1036 origin does not date 𘦫 itself. Tangut components also serve in scholarly character indexes and Ideographic Description Sequences (IDS), short formulas that show how characters are assembled.

Why does 𘦫 show as a box?

Your font may not include Tangut characters.

A square can replace a glyph the selected font cannot draw; the text may still contain 𘦫. Choose or install a font with Tangut coverage in the app where it fails to display.