Tangut character 𗺹

𗺹 is a Tangut character; its exact reading needs a dictionary entry.

Tangut is a writing system for the Tangut language. A Unicode label identifies the encoded character, not its word or pronunciation. A glyph-specific Tangut dictionary entry can identify what it says.

Why did Western Xia create Tangut writing?

It gave the state a written language and a distinct identity.

In 1036, Emperor Li Yuanhao ordered Tangut writing as part of Western Xia state-building. A major project was a Tangut edition of the Buddhist Canon, the collection of Buddhist sacred writings; the script also marked cultural distance from Song China.

Tangut texts covered Buddhist scripture, Confucian works, military writing, and literature. A surviving manuscript, probably from the 12th or early 13th century, includes a translation of a Chinese text.

Why does Tangut look like Chinese?

It drew on Chinese writing but is a separate script.

Tangut rulers followed neighboring Khitan states in establishing a state script. Tangut characters took inspiration from Chinese writing’s visual style and character-building principles, but they are not simply Chinese counterparts.

This describes how the script was designed; a Chinese-looking form does not by itself reveal what 𗺹 means.