Tangut character 𘟨

It marks a Tangut syllable in phonetic transcription.

Tangut was the language and writing system of the Western Xia kingdom. This character's reconstructed reading is [tʃiwa], roughly “chee-wah”; an older scholarly transcription writes it śjwij, so sources use different spellings for its reading. It functions as a sound sign, not an everyday word with a fixed English gloss.

Its Tangut fanqie construction follows a sound-spelling method: the top and left of 𘟩 cue the syllable's starting sound, while 𘟪 cues the rest. This resembles Chinese fanqie, a method of combining sound clues; these parts guide pronunciation rather than adding meanings.

Why did Tangut writing need sound signs?

Tangut writing served government and Buddhist translation.

In the 1036–1038 period, the Tangut state used writing for business correspondence and organized a committee to translate Buddhist sutras into Tangut. In that setting, sound signs could help record syllables in names, loanwords, and religious terms.

Surviving Tangut writing includes Buddhist translations, Chinese civic texts such as Confucian and military works, and original laws, glossaries, and documents. After the Mongol conquest of Western Xia in 1227, everyday use of Tangut faded; the script persisted in manuscripts and later scholarship.

Why does 𘟨 show as a box?

Your selected font lacks Tangut glyphs.

A blank box means the selected font cannot draw this character; it does not change the text itself. A Tangut-capable font such as Tangut Yinchuan can display it if your browser or editor selects that font for Tangut.