Reference chart
The Hieroglyphic Alphabet: All 25 Signs
Every single-sound hieroglyph with its pronunciation, Gardiner code, what the picture shows, and a real Egyptian word that uses it.
By Harry Harrison Β· Published
Quick answer
The hieroglyphic alphabet is the set of 25 uniliteral signs (hieroglyphs that each write one consonant) with which ancient Egyptian scribes spelled words and, later, foreign names such as Cleopatra. It records no vowels: the vulture πΏ, reed π and quail chick π ± stand in for vowel sounds, and the lion π was used for L, a sound classical Egyptian did not write. The alphabet is the first thing to learn, but the script also used hundreds of two- and three-sound signs and silent determinatives.
| Sign | Sound | English | What it shows | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| πΏG1 | κ£ (aleph)say βahβ | a | Egyptian vulturethe glottal stopA standing Egyptian vulture, the commonest large bird of the Nile valley; the birdβs name began with this sound. | πΏπͺπ§π ¬ Β· κ£pd (bird) |
| πM17 | κ½ (yod)say βeeβ | i, e | Reed leafa weak consonant, read βiβA single flowering reed, the plant that grew everywhere along the river. | ππππ Β· κ½t (father) |
| πM17A | ysay βy / eeβ | y (ee) | Two reed leavesthe sound yTwo reeds side by side: the reed sign doubled. | π‘π Β· ky (another) |
| πD36 | κ₯ (ayin)say βah (guttural)β | a (deep) | Forearma deep throat soundA forearm with the palm up, seen from the side, one of dozens of arm signs, each with its own value. | ππΏ Β· κ₯κ£ (great, large) |
| π ±G43 | wsay βoo / wβ | w, u, o | Quail chickw, also βooβA quail chick; migrating quail arrived in Egypt each autumn in enormous flocks. | π ±ππ Β· wκ₯b (pure; a priest) |
| πD58 | bsay βb as in boyβ | b | Foot and lower legbA human lower leg and foot in profile. | ππΏπ‘π Β· bκ£k (servant) |
| πͺQ3 | psay βp as in penβ | p | Reed mat or stoolpA woven reed mat (or low stool) seen from above. | πͺπ Β· pt (sky) |
| πI9 | fsay βf as in fishβ | f, v | Horned viperfThe horned viper of the desert, with its two little horns. | ππ Β· pr.f (his house) |
| π G17 | msay βm as in motherβ | m | OwlmAn owl, the only bird sign drawn with its face turned towards you. | π πΏππ Β· mκ£κ₯t (Maat: truth, order) |
| πN35 | nsay βn as in nameβ | n | Ripple of waternA zigzag ripple on the surface of water. | πππ΄ Β· nαΈs (small; a commoner) |
| πD21 | rsay βr (lightly rolled)β | r, l | MouthrA human mouth seen from the front. | ππ Β· rn (name) |
| πO4 | hsay βh as in hatβ | h | Reed shelterhThe ground plan of a reed shelter or courtyard enclosure. | ππΏππ» Β· hκ£κ½ (to descend) |
| πV28 | αΈ₯say βh (breathy, from the throat)β | h (breathy) | Twisted wickemphatic hA twisted wick of flax, as used in an oil lamp. | πππͺ Β· αΈ₯tp (offering, peace), also written with the offering-slab π΅ |
| πAa1 | αΈ«say βkh as in Scottish lochβ | kh (loch) | Placenta or sievekhA round object with a hatched surface; scholars still argue whether it is a placenta or a sieve. | ππ Β· αΈ«t (thing; wood) |
| π‘F32 | αΊsay βkh (softer, further forward)β | kh (soft) | Animal belly with teatssofter khThe belly of an animal with its teats and tail. | π‘ππ§π Β· αΊrd (child) |
| π΄S29 | ssay βs as in sunβ | s | Folded clothsA piece of folded linen. | π΄ππ Β· sΕ‘ (scribe) |
| πO34 | zsay βz / sβ | z | Door boltz, an older sA horizontal door bolt. | ππΏ Β· zκ£ (son), also written π |
| πN37 | Ε‘say βsh as in shipβ | sh | PoolshA rectangular garden pool seen from above. | πππ Β· Ε‘κ₯ (sand) |
| πN29 | qsay βk (further back in the throat)β | q, c (hard) | Hill-slopeqThe slope of a hill or a sandy bank. | ππ§π¨ Β· qd (to build) |
| π‘V31 | ksay βk as in kiteβ | k | Basket with handlekA wicker basket with a handle, seen from the side. | π‘π Β· kt (another, feminine) |
| πΌW11 | gsay βg as in goβ | g | Jar-standgA ring stand that held a round-bottomed jar upright. | πΌπ Β· gm (to find), usually with the ibis π |
| πX1 | tsay βt as in topβ | t | Bread loaftA small round loaf of bread. | π΄πππ Β· snt (sister) |
| πΏV13 | αΉ―say βch as in churchβ | ch (church) | Tethering ropetjA rope used to hobble or tether animals. | πΏπΏππ Β· αΉ―κ£κ½ (man, male) |
| π§D46 | dsay βd as in dogβ | d | HanddAn open hand seen from the side. | π§πͺππ Β· dpt (boat) |
| πI10 | αΈsay βj as in judgeβ | j (judge) | CobradjA cobra at rest, seen from the side. | ππ§ Β· αΈd (to say) |
Signs are printed facing left, for reading left to right. Transliteration follows Gardiner's Egyptian Grammar and Allen's Middle Egyptian; βsayβ values are the conventional Egyptological pronunciation, not a reconstruction of ancient speech.
Why does the alphabet have no vowels?
Egyptian belongs to the Afro-Asiatic family, alongside Arabic and Hebrew, and like them it wrote the consonant skeleton of a word and left the vowels to the reader. A native speaker seeing πͺπ pr knew from context whether it meant βhouseβ or βto go outβ, just as an English reader copes with rd for βreadβ or βroadβ in a text message.
Because the vowels were never written, nobody knows exactly how most Egyptian words sounded. Egyptologists insert a conventional e between consonants to make words sayable, so nfr becomes βneferβ and κ½mn becomes βAmunβ. When you write a modern name, the three weak consonants πΏ π π ± do duty as a, i/e and u/o, which is exactly what Ptolemaic scribes did for Greek names.
Why is there no L, and what about C, J, V and X?
Classical Egyptian had no separate l; where we would expect one it used π r. When Greek rulers arrived after 332 BCE their scribes needed the sound constantly (Ptolemy, Cleopatra, Alexander) and settled on the recumbent lion π, whose Egyptian name rw had by then come to be pronounced with an l. That is the sign every modern name translator uses for L.
- C: hard c is π‘ k (or π q in Cleopatra); soft c is π΄ s.
- J: π αΈ, the cobra, pronounced like the j in βjudgeβ.
- V: π f, the horned viper; Egyptian did not distinguish f from v.
- X: two signs, π‘π΄ ks.
- Ch, Sh, Th: πΏ (church) or π (loch); π Ε‘; and plain π t, since there was no th.
How to write your name in hieroglyphs
Spell the name by sound, not by English spelling: Philip starts with π (f), Charlotte with π (sh), and a double letter is written once. Drop silent letters, keep the vowels only where they carry a real sound, and enclose the result in a cartouche, the rope loop that marked a royal name.
How to learn the 25 signs
Most people can learn the alphabet in a single sitting if they learn each sign as a picture with a sound, not as a shape. The owl π is m; the water ripple π is n; the mouth π is r. Once the pictures are fixed, the next step is reading them inside real words and royal names, which is where cartouches come in.
- The free first lesson teaches all 25 signs with audio, quick checks and a real inscription to read, in about 25 minutes.
- Reading your first cartouche walks through Tutankhamun, Cleopatra and Ramesses II sign by sign.
- Sign Hunt drills the alphabet against 3D models of the objects each sign depicts.
Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the hieroglyphic alphabet?
Twenty-four sounds, written with twenty-five signs: the double reed (y) is usually listed alongside the single reed (κ½). They are called uniliteral signs because each writes exactly one consonant. Egyptian also used hundreds of two- and three-consonant signs and silent determinatives, so the 'alphabet' is only the first layer of the script.
Why does the hieroglyphic alphabet have no vowels?
Egyptian writing recorded consonants only, like Arabic and Hebrew still do; readers supplied the vowels from context. When Egyptologists pronounce a word they insert a conventional 'e' between consonants, which is why the god's name written κ½mn is said 'Amun' or 'Amen'. For modern names the weak consonants πΏ, π and π ± stand in for a, i/e and u/o.
Is there a hieroglyph for the letter L?
Not originally. Classical Egyptian had no distinct l sound and used π (r) where we would expect one. From the Ptolemaic period, scribes spelling Greek and Roman names used the recumbent lion π for l, which is how Cleopatra and Ptolemy are written, and how the name translator on this site writes an L.
What about C, J, V, X and other English letters?
They are written by sound. A hard c is π‘ (k) or π (q) and a soft c is π΄ (s); j is π (αΈ, as in 'judge'); v is π (f); x is written as k + s (π‘π΄); ch is πΏ (as in 'church') or π (as in Scottish 'loch'); sh is π; th is simply π (t), because Egyptian had no 'th' sound.
Which direction do you read hieroglyphs?
Towards the faces. Signs that show a person or animal look towards the start of the line, so if the birds face left you read left to right, and if they face right you read right to left. Columns are read top to bottom. Most modern charts, including this one, print the signs facing left for left-to-right reading.
What are Gardiner codes?
Sir Alan Gardiner's Egyptian Grammar (1927) numbered every common hieroglyph within a lettered category: G for birds, D for parts of the body, N for sky and earth, and so on. G1 is the vulture, D21 the mouth, N35 the water ripple. Egyptologists worldwide use these codes to refer to a sign unambiguously, and the codes in the chart above are the ones you will see in dictionaries and museum catalogues.