Tangut ideograph 18698

In Tangut, this character is glossed as “origin.”

The Tangut script wrote the language used in Western Xia, a medieval state in northwestern China. A Tangut–Chinese dictionary gives this exact character the gloss “origin,” so its meaning comes from the written record, not from guessing at its shape.

Western Xia's first emperor created the Tangut script around 1036 to strengthen the state, support a Buddhist canon (a collection of sacred texts), and establish a distinct identity alongside Song China.

Why does this Tangut character look Chinese?

Its square layout shares a brush-writing tradition with Chinese characters.

Tangut uses square layouts and brush-like strokes familiar from Chinese writing, but it is a separate script, not a modern Chinese character and not directly derived from Chinese or Khitan. Khitan is another medieval script of northern China; both writing systems were state-sponsored projects of the period, while Tangut developed its own character system.

Tangut texts grew beyond the original Buddhist canon project. Surviving works include official and private records, Buddhist texts, Chinese translations, Confucian classics, military writing, and literature. The script remained in use through the Yuan and Ming periods, then became obsolete by the end of the Ming dynasty. It was rediscovered in the late 19th century and largely deciphered through early 20th-century scholarship.