Tangut Script
/ˈtæŋɡuːt skrɪpt/noun
The logographic writing system used to write Tangut, the language of the Western Xia kingdom in northwestern China from the 11th to 13th centuries.
Did you know?Tangut script was deliberately designed to look visually complex and culturally independent, helping the Western Xia court project power against its Chinese, Tibetan, and Central Asian neighbors.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skribh-
“To cut, scratch, or mark—likely referring to incising signs.”
Classical Latin
Latin
scrībere
“To write, originally associated with making marks by scratching or engraving.”
Late Latin
Latin
scrīptum
“Something written; a written document or text.”
11th Century
Tangut
𗼇𗟲
“The Tangut writing system, created under the Western Xia dynasty; its native name is represented here in Tangut characters.”
13th Century
Mongolian
Tangγud
“Tangut people or country; a Mongolian designation related to the Chinese name Tangut for the Western Xia population.”
Modern English
English
Tangut script
“The scholarly English name for the writing system of the medieval Tangut state.”