Tangut Character for Enter

A Tangut verb glossed as “to enter.”

In Xixia writing, it records a word, not a picture or emoji; read it as Tangut text.

Why does 𗜹 look like Chinese writing?

Its square forms draw on Chinese character design.

The Western Xia court introduced Tangut writing in 1036 to write its own language and mark a distinct state identity. It followed neighboring Khitan states’ example of establishing a native script, but Tangut characters record Tangut words, not Chinese.

The 12th-century rhyme dictionary Wénhǎi (“Sea of Characters”) lists 𗜹 with the gloss “to enter.” Books from the Western Xia period include Buddhist scriptures, Chinese works translated for Tangut readers, primers and secular texts.