Tangut Ideograph 17922

Published references translate 𗤢 as either “low” or “timid.” Tangut is no longer spoken, so scholars reconstruct its words from surviving texts. One reconstruction gives “low”; an English Tangut dictionary gives “timid.”

If 𗤢 stands alone, show both (“low/timid”) or follow the Tangut dictionary used by your text; surrounding words may favor one translation. Tangut characters superficially resemble Chinese characters, but Tangut is a separate script unrelated to Chinese writing.

When was the Tangut script created?

Tangut was created under Western Xia’s first emperor around 1036 CE. Western Xia was a historic state in what is now northwestern China; the Tangut script was used for official and religious writing. The earliest Tangut woodblock print in the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts collection is dated 1084. Surviving texts include Buddhist works, law codes, translations, administrative papers, and letters.

After Western Xia fell to the Mongols, Tangut writing continued under the Yuan and Ming dynasties before becoming obsolete by the end of the Ming dynasty. The script returned to scholarly attention in the late 19th century and was largely deciphered in the early 20th century.

Why does 𗤢 show as a box?

A font needs Tangut coverage to display this character. Without a Tangut glyph, it may appear as a blank box. Tangut sources also preserve variant glyph shapes, so two fonts can draw 𗤢 differently while showing the same character.