Tangut character 17C70

Its code-point label identifies the sign, not its Tangut word.

𗱰 belongs to the historical Tangut script, also called the Xixia script, which was used to write the Tangut language. Its character construction drew on Chinese writing, but Tangut is a distinct script for another language.

The mid-12th-century Sea of Characters, a Tangut rhyme dictionary, lists 𗱰 at entry 31.241 under rhyme 24. That is a catalog location, not an English translation.

Why was the Tangut script created?

It served the Western Xia state and its written Buddhist tradition.

In 1036, Western Xia ruler Li Yuanhao ordered the script's creation. It supported state-building, a Tangut Buddhist canon, and a cultural identity distinct from Song China. Nearby Khitan states had created scripts about a century earlier; Tangut used Chinese-like character construction while remaining a separate script.

Tangut writing appears in Buddhist scriptures, translated Chinese works, legal texts, dictionaries, government documents, manuscripts, printed books, and inscriptions. Surviving examples continue through 1502.

Why does 𗱰 appear as a box?

The active font may not contain a Tangut glyph for it.

In the active font, a box or blank space usually means Tangut coverage is missing. Fonts that include 𗱰 may still give it different outlines.