Tangut Character 179A8

A Tangut dictionary lists it for a family name.

Li Fanwen’s Tangut–Chinese dictionary maps 𗦨 to entry 2751, glossed “a surname.” Scholars reconstruct its sound as ghu: start with a voiced friction sound at the back of the mouth, then “oo” as in food. Tangut is extinct, so this is a scholarly reconstruction, not a current spoken form.

It looks Chinese, but it writes Tangut.

The Tangut script was created in 1036 to write the Tangut language for the Western Xia state. A later Chinese chronicle, the History of Song, credits ruler Li Yuanhao with starting it and official Yeli Renrong with developing it. Chinese and Khitan writing traditions shaped its square style, but Tangut is a separate language.

Tangut writing served official records and bilingual diplomacy, and carried Buddhist translations, law codes, and other books. Manuscripts survive from the mid-11th century through early 13th century. The latest known Tangut inscription dates to 1502, showing the script survived beyond the Western Xia state.

Use a Tangut-capable font.

To enter it, use U+179A8 in a Unicode-aware input tool. Its Unicode label is based on its code point, not on the Tangut reading.

The selected font needs Tangut coverage. Without it, the character may appear as a missing-glyph box or fallback drawing; Tangut fonts can also differ in stroke style.