Tangut character 𗖕

𗖕 is a Tangut transliteration sign.

A Tangut dictionary glosses this entry as “a transliteration.” In plain terms, transliteration writes a word or name from one language in another script according to its sound, rather than its meaning. The scholarly Tangut reading is written ²naq₁, roughly “na.” In this transcription, the raised 2 marks tone, the lowered 1 marks syllable grade, and final q marks a tense quality in the vowel rather than a spoken consonant.

The Tangut script, also called Xixia, was created under the first emperor of Western Xia about 1036 to write Tangut, a language spoken in what is now northwestern China. Its style was modeled on Chinese and Khitan scripts, but Tangut is a distinct writing system, not a Chinese character. The script carried official, private, religious, and legal texts, including Buddhist writings. It remained in use after Western Xia fell and through the Yuan and Ming dynasties; the latest known inscription dates to 1502.