What 𗯥 means
A Tangut script character; its sense depends on the word around it.
Unicode's label is an inventory name, not a gloss. The standard Tangut dictionary compiled by Li Fanwen indexes this glyph as L5198, and scholars give it the reconstructed reading lhe — a pronunciation estimate, not an English translation. Meaning comes from the surrounding Tangut word and passage, so a lone 𗯥 carries no dependable everyday message.
The script itself was instituted in 1036 under emperor Li Yuanhao for state-building: official documents, cultural writing and a Tangut Buddhist Canon. A distinct script also marked the empire's identity apart from Song China.
Why does it look like Chinese?
It borrows Chinese-style conventions without being Chinese.
Tangut adopted Chinese character structure, following the earlier example of Khitan state scripts, but its glyphs are not copies of Chinese ones. Surviving Khara-Khoto material probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century: Buddhist texts, translations from Chinese and Tibetan, and secular works.
After Western Xia fell in 1227, Tangut writing survived for centuries before leaving daily use; dictionaries, bilingual texts and modern fonts keep single characters readable.
Should I send 𗯥 by itself?
Only when the recipient expects Tangut text.
In a language-study, historical-text or font-testing exchange it can point at the exact character under discussion. Anywhere else, a recipient cannot infer its word, reading or tone from one glyph.
For a translation, give the surrounding passage or a dictionary gloss, not the glyph alone.
Historical and technical; opaque as a standalone message outside Tangut study.
Do not treat its code-point name or reconstructed reading as a translation.
Part of collections
Who writes 𗯥
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Questions people ask
2Why is 𗯥 blank on my screen?
Your font has no Tangut coverage. The character is real, but until a Tangut-capable font is installed it renders as an empty box or nothing at all.
How many Tangut characters are there?
More than six thousand. Unicode gives each one an index-style name built from its code point, which is why this name reads like a serial number rather than a word.
More like this
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How to type or find 𗯥
- Search it as
- xixia · western xia character · tangut character · tangut script · lhe · tangut writing · chinese looking character
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𗯥\17BE5Why is 𗯥 a box on my screen?
fsymbols draws rare signs with its own fonts, so they show here even where your device has none. An app or website without such a font shows an empty box (□) or a question mark instead. Turn our fonts off to see each sign as your device draws it by itself: a box here means a box in your chats and documents too.
Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.