Tangut Ideograph-17E5F

Its reading depends on the Tangut word it belongs to.

𗹟 belongs to the Tangut writing system, used by Western Xia. The label “Tangut Ideograph-17E5F” identifies the encoded sign; it is not an English gloss. A Tangut dictionary or the surrounding word helps explain what it says.

The Khara-Khoto manuscripts attest Tangut writing in the 12th or early 13th century.

Why was Tangut writing created?

It gave Western Xia a state writing system and cultural identity.

The script served administration and marked Western Xia as culturally distinct from the Song dynasty in China. It also carried Buddhist scriptures and translations of Chinese and Tibetan works, alongside official, private, and religious texts.

Tangut writing continued under the Yuan and Ming dynasties, then became obsolete by the end of the Ming. Its creation followed earlier Khitan script-making and drew on Chinese writing, but Tangut characters were not derived from Chinese characters.