Tangut character 𗞣

𗞣 is glossed as “farm animal.” Li Fanwen’s Tangut-Chinese dictionary gives it this lexical meaning and a scholarly reconstruction of its sound, ɣjɨ. That specialist notation estimates a historical pronunciation; it is not a modern spoken reading.

Around 1036 CE, the Western Xia state developed Tangut writing for official use and Buddhist scriptures. The script drew on visual principles of Chinese writing; sponsoring a state script followed a precedent set by the Khitan, a neighboring people. Tangut remained a separate writing system. The earliest document in the surviving Tangut record is dated 1072. Writing continued after the 1227 conquest, and an inscription dates to 1502.