Tangut Hairpin Character

𗳔 refers to a hairpin in Tangut. It belongs to the writing system used by the Western Xia state, and written Tangut outlasted that state.

Text symbol

What 𗳔 means

Li Fanwen’s 2008 Tangut dictionary glosses it as “hairpin.” That is a Tangut vocabulary meaning, not a Chinese reading of the character.

When did Tangut writing enter use?

Western Xia promulgated the script in 1036.

It served administration and the state's cultural identity. A transmitted Tangut document is dated 1072; Buddhist translations and dictionaries show the script's wider literary use. An inscription from 1502 records Tangut writing after Western Xia fell.

A historical Tangut word; a blank box means the font lacks this glyph.

Chinese or Tangut? 𗳔 belongs to Tangut writing; its shape alone does not establish a Chinese reading.

Part of collections

𗀀

Tangut Characters List

𗼇

Tangut Script

Who writes 𗳔

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Questions people ask

Why does 𗳔 show as a box on some devices?

Not every system ships a font for the Tangut block. Where none is installed, the character shows as an empty box; adding a font such as Noto fixes it. The character itself is still correct and copies correctly.