Tangut character 𗛗

Its dictionary gloss is “plum.”

The Unicode proposal for adding Tangut characters links 𗛗 to entry 4246 in Li Fanwen’s Tangut dictionary; the English index glosses that entry “plum.” “TANGUT IDEOGRAPH-176D7” is an inventory label, not a translation.

The Tangut script was created under the first emperor of Western Xia, a medieval state, about 1036 CE. A Tangut manuscript from Khara-khoto probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century; that dates surviving writing, not the first appearance of 𗛗.

Why was Tangut writing created?

It served government, political identity, and Buddhist translation.

Western Xia used the Tangut script for official writing and for a Tangut translation of the Buddhist Canon, a large collection of Buddhist scriptures. It also survives in private and religious texts and in Tangut translations of Chinese works.

Tangut took visual and structural ideas from Chinese writing but remained a distinct script. The Khitan, another medieval people in the region, were a precedent for using a script of their own to mark political identity. After Western Xia fell, Tangut writing continued under the Yuan and Ming dynasties before becoming obsolete by the end of the Ming.

Why does 𗛗 display as a box?

The font in use cannot draw a Tangut glyph.

A box means the active font lacks this character’s design. A Tangut-capable font can display it; changing fonts may change its drawn shape, but not the character itself.