Tangut character 𗠢

Its historical dictionary gloss is “fear.”

Unicode 18.0 maps 𗠢 to source number L2008-4636 in Li Fanwen's 2008 dictionary; the English index lists entry 4636 under “fear.”

The Tangut script was created around 1036 to support state-building in Western Xia (Xixia), translate Buddhist texts, and express Tangut identity. A manuscript fragment from the Tangut site of Khara-Khoto probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century. Tangut writing appears in Buddhist sutras, legal and military works, Confucian texts, and literature; scholars study these texts as historical sources.

Someone sent me 𗠢—what is it?

Treat it as an unfamiliar historical sign until context says more.

In an ordinary message, the dictionary's “fear” gloss is a clue about the written character, not proof that the sender is expressing fear. Ask what they meant if the message matters.

A Tangut specialist may recognize it in a discussion of the language, manuscripts, or script history. A reader without that background may only recognize an unfamiliar historical character. Tangut resembles Chinese writing in appearance and structure; it is a separate script.

Why does 𗠢 look different in another font?

Font differences can alter the drawing without changing the character.

Tangut sources preserve variant drawn forms. Unicode 18.0 explains that some source forms were unified when their shape differences did not distinguish characters, and that chart glyphs are reference shapes rather than required designs. Fonts may therefore draw 𗠢 differently. A missing box means the selected font lacks Tangut support.