What 𗼿 means
It is a Tangut character glossed as “frighten.” A dictionary index compiled by Tangut scholar Li Fanwen lists it as catalogue no. 3206, gives its reconstructed reading in the scholarly transcription nẹj², and pairs it with the Chinese gloss 恫. The transcription records a reconstruction of an extinct language; it is not a pronunciation guide for a living language.
The Tangut script was devised around 1036 under the first emperor of Western Xia, the Tangut state. Its creation supported a Buddhist canon, a collection of sacred texts, and state-building that distinguished Tangut identity from the neighboring Song dynasty. The script drew on Chinese writing and developed alongside neighboring Khitan scripts; this broader history does not establish that 𗼿 itself was borrowed from either. Tangut texts include Buddhist, legal, Confucian, military, and literary works. The script remained in use after Western Xia fell, under Yuan and Ming rule; as of 2026, the latest known inscription is dated 1502.
Why does 𗼿 appear as a box?
The font may not contain a Tangut glyph. Unicode identifies the character, but your font draws its visible shape. If the font lacks Tangut coverage, text may show a box or missing-glyph mark even when the underlying character is intact. Historical Tangut used vertical columns read from right to left; as of 2026, digital text normally runs horizontally from left to right.
Should I send 𗼿 to someone?
Only if you give it Tangut context. Someone who studies Tangut may recognize a historical character; another recipient may see an unfamiliar glyph without knowing what response you intend. Include the Tangut text or its gloss so the message has a reading to follow.
Historical and scholarly; it reads like a character from an old text, not a familiar chat reaction.
Sent alone, it may look like a missing glyph or unexplained writing.
Part of collections
Who writes 𗼿
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What it means when someone sends it to you
3 readingsA historical glyph with no cue for why it was sent.
Related characters
1
Questions people ask
1Why does 𗼿 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.
More like this
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How to type or find 𗼿
- Search it as
- 𗼿 meaning · Tangut 3206 · nẹj² · Xixia script · western xia script · tangut writing · tangut ideograph · tangut letter
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𗼿\17F3FWhy is 𗼿 a box on my screen?
fsymbols draws rare signs with its own fonts, so they show here even where your device has none. An app or website without such a font shows an empty box (□) or a question mark instead. Turn our fonts off to see each sign as your device draws it by itself: a box here means a box in your chats and documents too.
Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.