Tangut character 𗐏

A Tangut dictionary glosses 𗐏 as “see.” It represents a word in Tangut, the language of the Western Xia state.

Scholars reconstruct Tangut pronunciation from historical material, and different reconstruction systems give different readings. A meaning gloss does not supply the sound; use a reading from a dictionary or edition that names its system.

Why was Tangut writing created?

To serve the Western Xia state, also called Xixia, and its written culture. Traditional accounts place the script’s promulgation around 1036; the earliest securely dated Tangut document is the Record of the Guazhou Trial, from 1069 or 1070 CE.

Surviving texts include government and legal records, Buddhist translations, Confucian classics, military treatises, literature, and translations from Chinese or Tibetan. Chinese writing and the Khitan script, another writing system in the region, influenced Tangut’s structure, but Tangut was its own script: knowing Chinese alone did not let a reader read it. Everyday Tangut use declined after the Mongol conquest in the 13th century; the latest known inscription dates to 1502.

How do I type or display 𗐏?

Use a Tangut-aware input method. Tangut dictionaries and input tools can offer character lookup or reconstructed-pronunciation input, then let you select the right candidate.

In different Tangut fonts, the same character can have different designs. Without a font that supports Tangut, it may appear as a box or fallback glyph; if its outline changes between documents, check which font is rendering it.