What 𘑺 means
Its digital label identifies the sign, but gives no Tangut word or reading. The Unicode name is generated from the character’s assigned number, not from a translation. To interpret 𘑺, read it in a Tangut word or passage and consult a lexicon.
Why was Tangut script created?
It served Western Xia rule, religion, and a distinct written identity. Around 1036, the first Western Xia emperor commissioned Tangut writing for administration and state identity distinct from Song China. It was also used for Buddhist texts, including a Tangut Buddhist canon.
Surviving writing ranges beyond religion: official and private records, translated Chinese histories, military treatises, and literature are represented. Manuscripts from Khara-Khoto, an important Tangut text site, date to the 12th or early 13th century. After Western Xia fell to Mongol forces, Tangut remained in use under Yuan and Ming rule, then became obsolete by the end of the Ming dynasty.
Is 𘑺 a Chinese character?
No. 𘑺 belongs to the separate Tangut script. Tangut writing drew on Chinese forms and design principles, but it wrote another language with its own signs. A Chinese-like shape does not make the two scripts interchangeable.
Khitan is another historical script discussed in debates about regional influence. The extent of Tangut–Khitan links remains debated, and visual resemblance alone does not identify this sign as Khitan.
Tone: historical and scholarly; outside a Tangut text or discussion, the character needs context to be readable.
Its Chinese-inspired shape does not make it a Chinese character.
Part of collections
Who writes 𘑺
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Related characters
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Questions people ask
1Why does 𘑺 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.
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How to type or find 𘑺
- Search it as
- xixia script · tangut script · tangut font · western xia writing
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𘑺\1847AWhy is 𘑺 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.