Tangut character 𗊯

It is a Tangut word for “well.” A Tangut dictionary gives 𗊯 the reconstructed reading ²kha₄ and the Chinese gloss 井 (“well”). The reading is a scholarly reconstruction of a historical sound, not a direct recording.

The Chinese character 井 is a translation clue, not evidence that 𗊯 is Chinese; 𗊯 belongs to Tangut writing.

Why does 𗊯 look like Chinese?

Tangut took visual and structural inspiration from Chinese script. In 1036, Western Xia ruler Li Yuanhao ordered Tangut writing into use for state-building, work on a Tangut Buddhist canon (a collected body of Buddhist scripture), and a distinct identity alongside Song China. Scripts of the Khitan people were an earlier regional precedent; Chinese characters influenced Tangut’s visual forms and structure.

After Western Xia fell in 1227, Tangut writing continued in texts from the Yuan and Ming dynasties before going out of use by the end of the Ming dynasty. Surviving examples include Buddhist sutras, translations of Chinese works, official records, contracts, inscriptions, and manuscripts.