Hieroglyph alphabet
Every sign is a little picture. Tap one to see what it shows and what it means.
Latin letters only — the ancient scribes had no vowels like ours!
- G1ꜣSay it: aEgyptian vulture — sounds like the 'a' in 'father'.
- M17iSay it: i / yFlowering reed — sounds like 'ee' or 'y'.
- M17AySay it: yTwo reeds — the sound 'y', often at the end of a word.
- D36ꜥSay it: aaForearm — a deep 'a' made in the throat.
- G43wSay it: w / uQuail chick — sounds like 'w' or 'oo'.
- D58bSay it: bFoot and leg — the sound 'b'.
- Q3pSay it: pReed mat or stool — the sound 'p'.
- I9fSay it: fHorned viper — the sound 'f'.
- G17mSay it: mOwl — the sound 'm'.
- N35nSay it: nRipple of water — the sound 'n'.
- D21rSay it: rMouth — the sound 'r'. It also means 'mouth'.
- O4hSay it: hReed shelter — a soft 'h', like a sigh.
- V28ḥSay it: HTwisted wick — a strong, breathy 'h'.
- Aa1ḫSay it: khRound sieve — the 'kh' sound, like clearing your throat.
- F32ẖSay it: kh (soft)Animal belly with tail — a softer 'kh'.
- S29sSay it: sFolded cloth — the sound 's'.
- N37šSay it: shGarden pool — the sound 'sh'.
- N29qSay it: qSandy hill slope — a deep 'k' made far back.
- V31kSay it: kWoven basket with handle — the sound 'k'.
- W11gSay it: gJar stand — the hard sound 'g'.
- X1tSay it: tLoaf of bread — the sound 't'.
- V13ṯSay it: tchTethering rope — the sound 'tch'.
- D46dSay it: dHand — the sound 'd'.
- I10ḏSay it: djCobra — the sound 'dj'.
- S34Say it: ankhAnkh — the key of life. Gods hold it to the king's nose to give him life.
- R11Say it: djedDjed pillar — the backbone of Osiris. It means 'strong and steady'.
- S40Say it: wasWas sceptre — a long staff meaning 'power'.
- D10Say it: wedjatEye of Horus — a healing eye that keeps you safe.
- F35Say it: neferNefer — heart and windpipe. It means 'beautiful' and 'good'.
- S12Say it: nubGold collar — the word 'nub', meaning gold.
- R8Say it: netjerCloth on a pole — the flag of a temple. It means 'god'.
- G5Say it: HeruFalcon — the god Horus, protector of the king.
- G26Say it: DjehutyIbis on a perch — Thoth, the god of writing and the moon.
- M23Say it: sutSedge plant — the King of Upper Egypt, the land of the south.
- L2Say it: bitBee — the King of Lower Egypt, the land of the Delta.
- V30Say it: nebWicker basket — the word 'neb': lord, master, or 'every'.
- L1Say it: kheperScarab beetle — it rolls the sun into the sky, so it means 'to become'.
- E1Say it: kaBull — strength, and the word 'ka' for a bull herd.
- G39Say it: saPintail duck — the word 'sa', meaning 'son'.
- I3Say it: mesekhCrocodile — the fierce Nile animal and the god Sobek.
- K1Say it: inTilapia fish — a Nile fish that means new life.
- N5Say it: raSun disc — 'ra': the sun, a day, and the sun god Ra.
- N11Say it: iahCrescent moon — 'iah': the moon and the month.
- N14Say it: sebaStar — 'seba': a star and also an hour of the night.
- N1Say it: petSky — 'pet': the ceiling of the world above us.
- N16Say it: taStrip of land with grains of sand — 'ta': the earth.
- M4Say it: renpetPalm branch — 'renpet': one whole year.
- A1Say it: seated manSeated man — a man, or the word 'I' when you talk about yourself.
- B1Say it: seated womanSeated woman — a woman, or a woman's name.
- A17Say it: kheredChild with a finger at the mouth — 'khered': a child, just like you!
- D2Say it: herFace seen from the front — 'her': face, or 'upon'.
- D4Say it: irHuman eye — 'ir': to see, and 'to make'.
- O1Say it: perHouse plan — 'per': a house or a home.
- P1Say it: depetBoat — sailing on the Nile, the great road of Egypt.
- Y1Say it: medjatRolled papyrus scroll — a book, or an idea you cannot draw.
- Y3Say it: seshScribe's kit: palette, water pot and reed pen — 'sesh': to write.
Sources
Sign codes, descriptions and meanings are based on Gardiner's Sign List and these open references.
- Gardiner's Sign List — egyptianhieroglyphs.netSign codes and categories.
- Wikimedia Commons — Category: Gardiner's listReference drawings of the signs.
- OCHRE — Gardiner Sign List (University of Chicago)Scholarly sign descriptions and transliteration.
- Unicode — Egyptian Hieroglyphs block (U+13000)The characters used to draw each sign on this page.