Tangut character 18407

It is a Tangut character with a reconstructed reading of mɪ.

Catalogues give its reconstructed Tangut reading mɪ: m followed by a short vowel like the i in English “sit.” In Buddhist titles, it appears inside phrases translated with words such as “record,” “account,” or “written note.”

That placement matters: the character appears as part of a written title or phrase, and its precise English sense depends on the surrounding Tangut text.

Why was Tangut script created?

Western Xia ruler Li Yuanhao ordered it into use in 1036. The Western Xia, also known as Xixia, used Tangut writing to establish a native written identity. The script drew on Chinese writing principles and followed the example of a state script used by the neighbouring Khitan people. These are connections in the history of Tangut writing, not evidence that this exact character descends from a particular Chinese glyph. The state also promoted a Tangut Buddhist canon and translations of Chinese works.

A Khara-Khoto Tangut manuscript probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century; Buddhist pillars dated 1502 show the writing still in use much later.