Tangut character 𘉩

It is linked to a Tangut word glossed “to be ashamed.”

In Li Fanwen’s dictionary, the Latin-letter entry for this character is zar. Comparative research reconstructs its Tangut form as zar² and glosses it “to be ashamed”; it proposes “red” as an older sense. That older-sense explanation is less certain than the gloss.

The Western Xia state established Tangut writing around 1036. It helped mark political independence from the Song and Khitans, served administration, and carried Buddhist translations from Chinese and Tibetan. Chinese writing was its main model, but 𘉩 is a Tangut character.

What should I expect if someone sends 𘉩?

Treat it as a reference to Tangut writing unless the sender explains more.

After Western Xia fell in 1227, Tangut writing continued in Buddhist liturgical use into the Ming dynasty. Its surviving texts are historical and scholarly records.

The character alone gives little context for the old gloss, so explain it if you mean to signal embarrassment.