Tangut Character 17BC9

It is a Tangut character; its Unicode label does not translate it. The Xixia script was created for the Tangut language of Western Xia. A specialist Tangut dictionary reconstructs the pronunciation of 𗯉 as ljɨ̱², a technical transcription rather than an English word or gloss.

The history of 𗯉 sits within a broader story of Tangut state writing. Around 1036, the Tangut ruler commissioned the script for state-building and Buddhist canon work. It later appeared in laws, official and private writing, and translations from Chinese and Tibetan. Its forms drew on Chinese writing, and its creation followed earlier Khitan script-making, but Tangut is a distinct writing system. Tangut writing continued after Western Xia fell and was obsolete by the end of the Ming dynasty.

How do I type 𗯉?

Use a Tangut-specific input method or a Unicode character picker. For one-off entry, select it from your system's character map or picker. For repeated entry, a Tangut input method offers more options: Rime schemes such as Xunpin use scholarly phonetic input, while radical, four-corner, and Cangjie lookup can help when you do not know its reading. On a system with Unicode hexadecimal input, enter 17BC9.

As of 2026, Tangut IME guidance reports that some mobile apps may display Tangut text as blank or as boxes even when the text remains intact. A font with Tangut support can fix a coverage gap. Different fonts may draw the same encoded character in different styles.