Tangut character U+17BFD

The label is an identifier, not a translation.

𗯽 is a Tangut character. Unicode’s generated name identifies it by script and code point, but does not tell you its historical word or pronunciation. Reading it takes a Tangut dictionary and enough surrounding text.

One scholarly survey identifies the earliest transmitted Tangut document as an official paper dated 1072. That dates early use of the script, not this character’s first appearance.

Why was Tangut script created?

It served the Western Xia state and a Buddhist canon.

Tangut writing was commissioned under the first Western Xia emperor in the eleventh century. It supported state-building, gave Tangut institutions a written language distinct from Song China, and served a Buddhist canon in Tangut.

Its forms drew visual and structural inspiration from Chinese writing; Khitan rulers in the region had created scripts of their own too. Surviving Tangut texts include Buddhist scriptures, Chinese classics, military works, encyclopedias, and literature.

What happened after Western Xia fell?

The script survived the state.

Inscriptions and manuscripts show Tangut use into the Yuan and early Ming periods. Scholars later recovered the script through bilingual material and large manuscript collections.

As of 2026, digital projects include Tangut type design, fonts, dictionaries, optical character recognition, and input tools. In a modern message, treat 𗯽 as a Tangut text specimen until its context gives you a more specific reading.