Tangut character

Its Unicode label names the encoded character, not the Tangut word. 𗝤 is a character in the Tangut script, created to write the Tangut language. The label identifies the character; it is not a translation or pronunciation guide.

Around 1036 CE, the first Western Xia emperor ordered scholars to create a script for the Tangut language. It gave the state its own writing system and marked its cultural independence.

Why does 𗝤 look Chinese?

Tangut is a distinct script shaped by its Chinese writing environment. Its forms were influenced by Chinese writing, so they can look familiar. But 𗝤 is Tangut writing, not a Chinese character; its shape does not supply a Chinese reading.

Tangut appeared in official records, private writing and religious works, including books, sutras, inscriptions and manuscripts. After Mongol forces conquered Western Xia, Tangut writing continued under the Yuan and Ming dynasties, becoming obsolete by the end of the Ming dynasty.