Tangut character 17131

Its reconstructed Tangut form is written *phə and glossed “nipple.”

The asterisk marks a scholarly reconstruction: researchers infer the form from written and comparative evidence rather than from a directly recorded pronunciation. A Tangut dictionary indexes this glyph as L2981. A study comparing body-part words in Tangut and related languages gives the gloss “nipple.”

Why was the Tangut script created?

It served the Western Xia state and its Buddhist canon.

Introduced around 1036 under the first Western Xia emperor, the script served state administration and the creation of a Tangut-language Buddhist canon, a collection of scriptures. Its design followed principles of Chinese writing while representing a distinct language and political identity.

Creation predates surviving examples: a document dated 1070/71 may be the earliest surviving Tangut writing. An inscription from Dunhuang (1085) and the Liangzhou Stele, an inscribed stone monument (1094), are later landmarks. After Western Xia fell, the script continued in Buddhist, legal, and other texts under later dynasties; the latest known dated example is around 1502.

What does it mean when someone sends 𗄱?

A bare send does not reveal a personal message.

As of 2026, no established chat convention fixes its meaning when it appears alone. The dictionary gloss is not enough to infer a sexual joke or comment; ask the sender for context.