Tangut character 𗬀

𗬀 is a Tangut character, but the label does not translate it. Its code-point label is a software ID, not an English gloss. To find the Tangut word and reading, consult the surrounding Tangut text or a Tangut dictionary.

Created around 1036 under Li Yuanhao, ruler of the Western Xia state, Tangut writing helped distinguish that state from Song China and translate the Buddhist canon, a large collection of sacred texts. Its designers followed neighboring Khitan script-makers; the Khitan were another people with their own writing. Chinese forms influenced Tangut design, but it remained a separate script for a separate language.

Manuscripts from Khara-khoto, an archaeological site, are probably from the 12th or early 13th century. They include laws, Buddhist and other religious writing, translations from Chinese and Tibetan, and secular literature. After Mongol forces brought down Western Xia, Tangut writing continued through the Yuan and Ming periods; it was obsolete by the end of the Ming dynasty.