Tangut Character 17B3A

It belongs to the Tangut script, a writing system for the Tangut language. Tangut is a Tibeto-Burman language historically used in northwestern China. The Unicode name identifies a code point rather than a dictionary word. To find 𗬺's reading in a text, consult a Tangut dictionary and the neighboring words.

The script began about 1036 CE under the first Western Xia emperor. A surviving handwritten book from Khara-khoto probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century. That manuscript shows Tangut writing in use, but does not establish when this individual character first appeared.

Why was the Tangut script created?

It supported government, religion, and cultural life. The Western Xia state used Tangut for official, private, and religious writing, and planned a Tangut edition of the Buddhist Canon, a collection of Buddhist scriptures.

The Tanguts followed the example of the Khitan, a neighboring medieval people who had created scripts earlier. Tangut drew on Chinese writing's visual style and character-building principles, but did not derive from Chinese. Tangut texts translated Chinese and Tibetan works on Buddhism, Confucian thought, military affairs, and literature.

What happened to Tangut writing?

It outlived the Western Xia state, then became a subject of historical study. After the Mongol conquest of Western Xia, Tangut continued in later imperial periods before falling out of use. It was rediscovered in the late 19th century and is studied as part of the region's history.