Tangut script

Origin

The Tangut script was modelled on the Chinese and Khitan scripts. It was apparently devised by one 'Teacher Iri' in 1037 and was used for the translation of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit and other languages. It was used until the 16th century.

The Tangut script was deciphered with help from a Chinese-Tangut dictionary put together by the Chinese diplomatic service during the 12th century. Though most Tangut texts can now be deciphered, the pronunciation of the characters is uncertain or not known.

Notable features

Type of writing system: semanto-phonetic with about
Number of characters: about 6,600
The characters represented by meaning and sound in a similar way to Chinese characters

Used to write

Xixia or Hsihsia, an extinct Sino-Tibetan language which was spoken in the Tangut kingdom in north-western China until about the 16th century.

Sample Tangut characters

Links

Free fonts containing Tangut characters can be found at:
http://www.mojikyo.org

Tangut font and dictionary (in Japanese)
http://teacher.wtuc.edu.tw/92029/html/fdawnload.htm

Other semanto-phonetic writing systems

Ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Chữ-nôm, Japanese, Jurchen, Khitan, Linear B, Mayan, Naxi, Tangut (Hsihsia)

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