Tangut character 𗫇

It is a character in the historical Tangut writing system. The Tangut sound-based dictionary Wénhǎi (“Sea of Characters”) lists it at entry 64.262; that is a dictionary location, not an English translation.

Tangut writing was introduced under the first Western Xia emperor around 1036. Historical accounts differ over who designed it: some name Yeli Renrong, a court official, and others Li Deming, the emperor’s father. The script was used for state records, translations, books, Buddhist sutras, inscriptions, and manuscripts. After Western Xia fell, Tangut texts continued to be written during the Yuan and Ming dynasties before the script fell out of use.

Why was the Tangut script made?

It gave the Western Xia state a way to write Tangut. The script recorded the Tangut language and also marked the state’s distinct written identity.

Tangut characters can resemble Chinese characters because both use compact, square shapes, but Tangut is a distinct script. Khitan and Jurchen writing were also used in the wider region; they are historical comparisons, not alternate forms of this character. Historical Tangut manuscripts could run in vertical columns from right to left; modern editions commonly set them horizontally from left to right.