Tangut Ideograph 18741

It is the Tangut word for “wing.”

Its reconstructed reading is transcribed thə in scholarly notation. A surviving Tangut poem, “Ode on Monthly Pleasures,” uses it in “wing-clothes,” a phrase for a bird.

Tangut writing was created around 1036 under Western Xia emperor Li Yuanhao as part of building the state. The project was tied to a Tangut Buddhist canon and a distinct Tangut identity. A manuscript from Khara-Khoto, probably from the 12th or early 13th century, shows Tangut in book use.

Is 𘝁 Chinese?

No; 𘝁 is a Tangut character.

Tangut is a separate historical script for the Tangut language. Its square forms resemble Chinese writing. The neighboring Khitan scripts also served as a model for Tangut as a state writing system.

In a modern chat, a lone 𘝁 is best read as a sample of Tangut writing. Its word means “wing”; the sender’s reason for choosing it depends on context.

How can I type or display 𘝁?

A specialist Tangut input tool can insert the character; ordinary keyboard layouts do not normally include the script. Display depends on font coverage: if a font cannot draw Tangut, it may show a box. Different Tangut fonts can give the strokes different styles without changing the encoded character.