Tangut character 18636

Choose a Tangut-capable font; a box means Tangut is unsupported.

Fonts may draw the same encoded character with different proportions. If 𘘶 appears as a box or fallback mark, the text still contains the character; the app needs a font with Tangut coverage.

In HTML source, write 𘘶. In modern JavaScript, use \u{18636}. UTF-16 interfaces represent it with the surrogate pair D821 DE36.

What does 𘘶 mean in Tangut?

Its English reading depends on the surrounding Tangut words.

In a Tangut translation of a Chinese tract, 𘘶 appears in a repeated construction glossed “whoever.” The surrounding noun changes the translation, so the character alone has no dependable one-word English gloss.

Tangut writing drew on the structure of Chinese characters and on Khitan writing traditions, another historical script used in the region. Tangut remained a separate writing system for the Tangut language.

Why was Tangut script created?

It was commissioned for Tangut state administration and Buddhist texts.

The Tangut ruler ordered the script in 1036 for state use and a Buddhist canon in Tangut. Surviving manuscripts date from the mid-11th century onward; a Khara-khoto manuscript leaf probably dates to the 12th or early 13th century.

Tangut texts include Chinese translations, Confucian classics, encyclopedias, military treatises, legal documents, and literature. Tangut Buddhist materials remained important for printing and religion during the Yuan period. As of 2026, the latest known Tangut inscription dates to 1502.