What 𗊤 means
It records a reconstructed Tangut syllable, but has no settled English gloss. The scholarly reading is written tśja¹, roughly “tsya”; this is a sound reconstruction, not a translation. The sign appears in Joined Rimes of the Five Sounds, a Tangut phonology book using a spelling method that combines the start of one reading with the ending of another. Its Tangut–Chinese catalog label is L2008-6031.
As of 2026, the sole documented manuscript witness is this technical work. It does not establish an everyday meaning, an earlier ancestor, or a later change in use.
Why is an old Tangut sign in Unicode?
Unicode records an attested historical character; it did not invent the sign.
Emperor Li Yuanhao commissioned Tangut writing in 1036 for state-building and cultural work. The writing served the Tangut language and state alongside Song China; surviving books include Buddhist translations and secular works. This character belongs to a technical pronunciation tradition within that broader script.
The construction analysis names 𗋋 as the source of 𗊤’s left-side part, and 𘄻 as a source for its left and middle parts. In Unicode 15.1, manuscript-based artwork changed the right side to 𘠈 instead of the older 𘠉 form. Fonts based on older artwork may therefore look different; that does not make a second character.
Scholarly and archival: its documented life is in Tangut phonology.
Who writes 𗊤
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Questions people ask
2Can I translate 𗊤 as a Chinese character?
No. Tangut writing represents a distinct language and script tradition, though its character-building methods were influenced by Chinese writing. For this sign, the surviving sources give a Tangut reading, not a Chinese word.
Why does 𗊤 look different in some fonts?
In Unicode 15.1, the manuscript-based form uses 𘠈 on the right instead of 𘠉 in older encoded artwork. A font preserving the older artwork can show a different shape; that alone does not mean a different character.
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How to type or find 𗊤
- Also called
- L2008-6031 · tśja¹
- Search it as
- 6031 · tśja · tsya · Xixia · Wuyin Qieyun · Tangut phonology · Tangut rimes · Tangut font
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𗊤\172A4172A4; the exact keystrokes depend on your operating system and app.Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.