Tangut character 17DF8

𗷸 is glossed “man” or “son” in Tangut. It is a lexical character, and surrounding characters can make its reading more specific.

Created in 1036 under Tangut emperor Li Yuanhao, the Tangut script supported a distinct written identity from Song China and a Tangut edition of the Buddhist canon. Its forms and character-building principles were inspired by Chinese writing, but the script did not derive from it. Tangut rulers also followed neighboring Khitan states, which had developed two scripts about a century earlier.

Tangut books included Buddhist scriptures; Chinese works translated into Tangut, from Confucian classics and military treatises to literature; and texts translated from Tibetan or composed in Tangut. An undated manuscript found at the ruins of Khara-khoto, in Inner Mongolia, probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century.

How does 𗷸 form Tangut son terms?

A preceding character marks the son’s birth order. In a documented series, pairing that character with 𗷸 names sons from eldest through eighth. 𗷸 is the recurring “son” element.

For example, 𗬒 𗷸 means “eldest son,” and 𘂈 𗷸 means “second son.”

Why does 𗷸 look different in different fonts?

The same encoded character can have different outlines across fonts. The Unicode chart gives a reference drawing rather than a required outline; Tangut font data records alternative component analyses.