GlyphScribe

Egyptian Hieroglyphics Keyboard

What are Phonemes? Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in a language that distinguish one word from another. In Egyptian hieroglyphs, phonemes are represented by signs that correspond to specific sounds, categorized by the number of consonants they represent: uniliteral (one consonant), biliteral (two consonants), or triliteral (three consonants). These signs are combined to form words, often supplemented by determinatives (non-pronounced signs indicating meaning).

Uniliteral Signs: Represent a single consonant sound. Example: 𓄿 (ꜣ, a glottal stop, often approximated as "a").
Biliteral Signs: Represent two consonant sounds. Example: 𓌉 (mn, pronounced "men").
Triliteral Signs: Represent three consonant sounds. Example: animals 𓆣 (ḫpr, pronounced "kheper," meaning "to become" or "beetle").

The "th" Sound: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs do not have a direct equivalent for the English "th" sounds (as in "think" [θ, voiceless] or "this" [ð, voiced]). The closest approximations are the uniliteral signs 𓍿 (ṯ, pronounced like "tj" or "ch" in "church") or 𓏏 (t, a simple "t" sound). For transliterating "th," scribes might use 𓍿 (ṯ) for a voiceless sound or combine signs like 𓏏 (t) and 𓉔 (h) to approximate the sound. In modern transliterations, "th" is often avoided, and sounds are adapted to fit Egyptian phonology.

Example in Hieroglyphs with "th": To represent the English word "throne" in hieroglyphs, we might approximate the "th" with 𓍿 (ṯ) and construct the word phonetically. For "throne" (approximated as ṯ-r-n), we could use:
𓍿 (ṯ) + 𓂋 (r) + 𓈖 (n) + 𓍋 (determinative for "seat" or "throne") = 𓍿𓂋𓈖𓍋.
This translates roughly to "ṯrn" with a determinative indicating a throne. Note that this is an approximation, as Egyptian phonology lacks a true "th" sound.

Glottal Consonants – ꜣ (𓄿), ꜥ (𓂝), ʾ (𓇌)
🔸 These sounds originate in the throat. Though often simplified to vowels like “a” or omitted in modern reconstructions, they are consonants in Egyptian phonology. Example: 𓄿 (ꜣ) in 𓄿𓇳 (ꜣḫ, "effective").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓄿 (vulture), 𓂝 (forearm), 𓇌 (double reed leaf).
Semivowels – w (𓅱), j (𓇋)
🔸 Semivowels behave like vowels in many environments. “j” is pronounced like English y in yes, and “w” like w in we. Example: 𓇋𓇳 (jr, "eye").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓅱 (quail chick), 𓇋 (reed leaf, often doubled for j).
Rhotic and Biliteral Consonants – r (𓂋), rw (𓃭)
🔸 𓂋 represents a rhotic consonant (often a flap or trill). The biliteral glyph 𓃭 (rw) combines r + w; it s not a true “l” sound, but often taught as “l” for educational purposes. Nevertheless, this was rendered as “l” in Ancient Greek and Coptic, indicating that in some Egyptian dialects it may have been used as “l.” Example: 𓂋𓄿 (rꜣ, "mouth").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓂋 (mouth), 𓃭 (lion).
Nasals – m (𓅓), n (𓈖)
🔸 These are voiced nasal sounds similar to “m” in man and “n” in net. Example: 𓅓𓈖 (mn, "to endure").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓅓 (owl), 𓈖 (water ripple).
Stops (Plosives) – b (𓃀), p (𓊪), t (𓏏), d (𓂧), k (𓎡), g (𓎼), q (𓇳)
🔸 These sounds involve a complete stop of airflow followed by a release. Some, like “q” (𓈎), are pronounced farther back in the throat. Example: 𓊪𓈎 (pq, "to split").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓃀 (foot), 𓊪 (mat with stool), 𓏏 (loaf of bread), 𓂧 (hand), 𓎡 (basket), 𓎼 (jar stand), 𓈎 (hill slope).
Sibilants & Related Fricatives – s (𓋴), š (𓈙), z (𓊃), f (𓆑)
🔸 These are hissing, hushing, or similar fricative consonants. “s” is like English s in sun, “š” like sh in ship, “z” like English z in zoo, and “f” like English f in fun.
Example: 𓋴𓈖 (sn, "brother").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓋴 (folded cloth), 𓈙 (hill slope), 𓊃 (door bolt), 𓆑 (horned viper).
Fricatives & Emphatic Consonants – h (𓉔), ḥ (𓎛), ḫ (𓐍), ẖ (𓄡), ṯ (𓍿), ḏ (𓆓)
🔸 These include breathy, constricted, or forceful consonants. “h” is like English h in hat; “ḥ” is a pharyngeal h with a constricted throat; “ḫ” is a voiceless velar fricative like the ch in German Bach; “ẖ” is a deeper, uvular fricative (like a harsher version of kh); “ṯ” (𓍿) can be pronounced like English ch in chip or “tj”; “ḏ” (𓆓) can be like English j in jam or “dj”.
Example: 𓍿𓇳 (ṯḫ, "to bind").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓉔 (reed shelter), 𓎛 (twisted flax), 𓐍 (sieve), 𓄡 (animal belly), 𓍿 (tethering rope), 𓆓 (cobra).
Control Keys – ⌫ (Backspace), ⏎ (Enter), ␣ (Space), ↔ (Toggle Direction), 🔠 (Toggle Transliteration), ⚙️ (Toggle Phoneme Mode), 🧹 (Clear), ↺ (Undo), ↻ (Redo), 📋 (Copy), 📥 (Download as PNG)
🔸 These are tool functions for working with the cartouche or output area.
🔸 Glyphs Depict: Modern symbols (not hieroglyphs) representing digital functions.

What are Determinatives? Determinatives are non-pronounced hieroglyphs placed at the end of words to indicate their meaning or category. They clarify the sense of phonetic spellings in Egyptian hieroglyphs, which lack explicit vowels. For example, 𓀀 (man) specifies a person, while 𓉐 (building) indicates a structure. They are essential for disambiguating words with similar phonetic spellings.

People Determinatives – Man (𓀀, A1), seated Woman (𓁐, Bq), Child (names 𓀁, A2), Archer (𓀎, A12), Scribe (𓏞, Y3), Enemy (𓀐, A14)
🔸 These indicate categories of people or roles. Examples: 𓇋𓅱𓀀 (I9+G5+A1, jw, "man’s name"), 𓇳𓄿𓋴𓀁 (N5+D36+V4+A2, rsw, "king’s wife"), 𓄟𓋴𓀃 (F31+V4+A17, ms, "child"), 𓍯𓄿𓀐 (V13+D36+A14, wꜣ, "enemy").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓀀 (seated man), 𓀁 (seated woman), 𓀃 (child with hand to mouth), 𓀎 (man with bow), 𓏞 (scribe’s palette, reed, water pot), 𓀐 (bound captive).
Body Part Determinatives – Arm (𓂝, D36), Mouth (𓂋, D21), Legs (𓂻, D56), Eye (𓁹, D4), Heart (𓄣, F34)
🔸 These represent body parts or related actions. Examples: 𓁹𓇳 (D4+N5, eye of Ra, "protection"), 𓄣𓏤 (F34+Z1, ib, "heart"), 𓂝𓏤 (D36+Z1, ꜥ, "arm"), 𓂋𓈖 (D21+N35, rn, "name").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓂝 (forearm), 𓂋 (mouth), 𓂻 (walking legs), 𓁹 (eye), 𓄣 (heart).
Abstract Determinatives – Chisel (𓊽, U23), Building (𓉐, O1), Water (𓈗, N35), Land (𓈈, N24), Sun (𓇳, N5)
🔸 These denote environmental or conceptual terms. Examples: 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓈗 (M17+X1+N35, iteru, "Nile"), 𓇳𓇳𓈈 (N5+N5+N24, kmt, "Egypt"), 𓉐𓏤 (O1+Z1, pr, "house"), 𓇳𓇿 (N5+N5, rꜥ, "sun").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓊽 (chisel), 𓉐 (house plan), 𓈗 (water ripples), 𓈈 (irrigation canals), 𓇳 (sun disk).
Action Determinatives – Hand (𓂧, D46), Write (𓏞, Y3), Walk (𓂻, D56)
🔸 These indicate actions or verbs. Examples: 𓂧𓈖 (D46+N35, di, "to give"), 𓌉𓆓𓂻 (U28+D51+D56, sḫr, "to walk"), 𓏞𓏛 (Y3+Z2, sš, "to write"), 𓂧𓌃 (D46+Y1, mdw, "to speak").
🔸 Glyphs Denotation: 𓂧 (hand), 𓏞 (scribe’s palette, reed, water pot), 𓂻 (walking legs).
Deities Determinatives – God (𓀭, C11), Osiris (𓋌, Q6), Anubis (𓁢, E16), Ra (𓇳, N5), Ra god (𓁚, C1), Horus (𓅃, G5)
🔸 These represent divine figures or concepts. Examples: 𓅃𓇳 (G5+N5, Ra-Horakhty, "Ra as Horus of the horizon"), 𓁚𓇿 (C1+N5, Ra sun, "sun god"), 𓊵𓏏𓊵 (U6+X1+U6, nṯr, "god"), 𓋌𓊵 (Q6+U6, wsir, "Osiris").
🔸 Glyphs Depict: 𓀭 (seated god), 𓋌 (seated Osiris), 𓁢 (jackal on shrine), 𓇳 (sun disk), 𓁚 (falcon with sun disk and uraeus), 𓅃 (falcon).
Control Keys – ⌫ (Backspace), ⏎ (Enter), ↔ (Toggle Direction), 🔠 (Toggle Transliteration), ⚙️ (Toggle Phoneme Mode), 🧹 (Clear), ␣ (Space), ↺ (Undo), ↻ (Redo), 📋 (Copy to Clipboard), 📥 (Download as PNG)
🔸 These are tool functions for working with the cartouche or output area.
🔸 Glyphs Depict: Modern symbols (not hieroglyphs) representing digital functions.

🟡 Celestial & Light
- 𓊃 – Sun (Gardiner: N5) – Used for day, deity Ra
- 𓇼 – Star (N14) – Time, night, heaven (distinct from Symbols Star)
- 𓈌 – Horizon (N28) – Dawn, setting sun
🟢 Nature & Plants
- 𓆼 – Plant (M1) – Agriculture, growth
- 𓇉 – Papyrus (M15) – Writing, Lower Egypt
- 𓇓 – Tree (M1) – Nature, wood
🔵 Water & Liquid
- 𓈗 – Water (N35) – Nile, floods
- 𓈖𓈖𓈖 – Pool (N35 x3) – Lakes, multiple waters
🟠 Animals
- 𓅇 – Swallow (G36) – Sound, mourning
- 𓃹 – Rabbit (E34) – Speed, phonetic "š"
- 𓆤 – Bee (L2) – Royal title "nswt-bjt"
🌸 Human Features
- 𓁹 – Eye (D4) – Protection, sight
- 𓂀 – Face (D2) – Identity, emotion
- 𓄣 – Heart (F34) – Emotion, mind
🟣 Divine Concepts
- 𓊹 – God (A40) – Generic god determinative; example: 𓊹ⲧ “nṯr” – “god” (A40)
- 𓀭 – Male God (A1) – Male deity determinative; example: 𓀭𓋴𓂋𓏏 “Asar” – Osiris (A1 + C136)
- 𓀯 – Goddess (A2) – Female deity determinative; example: 𓀯𓇋𓈙𓇋 “Aset” – Isis (A2 + I10 + S29)
- 𓊼 – Temple (O1) – Shrine or temple; example: 𓊹𓉐 “nṯr pr” – “temple” (A40 + O18)
- 𓁹 – Eye of Ra (D4) – Protective divine eye; example: 𓁹 “wḏꜣt” – “Eye of Horus” (D4 + W24 + Aa1)
- 𓅃 – Horus (G5) – Sky god, kingship; example: 𓅃𓇋𓇋 “Hr” – “Horus” (G5 + I10 + I10)
- 𓇳 – Ra (N5) – Sun god; example: 𓇳𓂋 “Ra” – “sun god” (N5 + D21)
- 𓊵 – Offering (R4) – Food or ritual offerings; example: 𓊵 “tp” – “offering” (R4 + X1)
🟤 Abstract & Place
- 𓉐 – Building (O1) – Temple, house
- 𓊽 – Offering (R4) – Rituals, food
- 𓇾 – Land (N24) – Irrigated fields, geography
- 𓏏 – Bread (X1) – Food, feminine suffix
🔶 Verbal / Abstract Compounds
- 𓆑𓂋 – Speak (Aa6 + D21) – Communication verb
- 𓄿𓂋𓏤 – Place (G1 + D21 + Z1) – Location noun ending

These are grammatical and formatting hieroglyphs. They do not represent sounds or meanings directly but serve structural functions such as number, gender, plurality, honorific framing, or layout. They are common in royal inscriptions, religious texts, and administrative writing.

⚪ Numbers
- 𓏺 – One (V20) — Example: 𓏺𓊃 (“one door”)
- 𓏻 – Two (V21) — Example: 𓏻𓂝 (“two arms”)
- 𓏼 – Three (V22) — Example: 𓏼𓂋 (“three mouths”)
- 𓏽 – Four (V23) — Example: 𓏽𓇳 (“four suns”)
- 𓏾 – Five (V24) — Example: 𓏾𓊖 (“five towns”)
- 𓏿 – Ten (V25) — Example: 𓏿𓎛 (“ten sieves”)
- 𓐀 – Hundred (V26) — Example: 𓐀𓇩 (“hundred grain-measures”)
- 𓐁 – Thousand (V27) — Example: 𓐁𓆓 (“thousand cobras”)
- 𓐂 – Ten Thousand (V28) — Example: 𓐂𓂧 (“ten thousand hands”)
- 𓐃 – Hundred Thousand (V29) — Example: 𓐃𓊃 (“hundred thousand bolts”)
- 𓐄 – Million (V30) — Example: 𓐄𓇳 (“million suns”) — poetic expression for eternity
⚪ Grammar & Structure
- 𓏤 – Stroke (Z1) — Example: 𓊃𓏤 (“bolt”) — ends noun stem
- 𓏥 – Dual strokes (Z2) — Example: 𓂝𓏥 (“two arms”)
- 𓏦 – Plural strokes (Z3) — Example: 𓇋𓇋𓇋𓏦 (“many reeds”)
- 𓏏 – Feminine ending (X1) — Example: 𓂋𓏏 (“mouth,” feminine)
- 𓅓 – Masculine suffix (G17) — Example: 𓅓𓂋 (“he loves” — 1st person suffix)
⚪ Formatting & Honorific
- 𓍷 – Cartouche (V10) — Example: 𓏠𓈖𓍷 (“Men[na]” inside a cartouche)
- 𓊹 – Divine Star (N14*) — Example: 𓊹𓂋𓇳 (“Ra” marked as divine)
- 𓆓 – Cobra Crown (T10) — Example: 𓆓𓏏 (“royal protection”)
- 𓐫 – Double enclosure (Z11) — Example: used around text in ritual/monumental inscriptions
- 𓐖 – Oblique divider (Z9) — Example: used as a visual divider between phrases or lists

The Egyptian alphabet, part of the hieroglyphic writing system used from around 3100 BCE, is not a true alphabet like modern systems but a complex script combining various elements.

Modern conventions transliterate these symbols into phonetic writing (e.g.ꜣ as "a" and 𓇋 as "i") to aid learning and study, though ancient Egyptians did not use vowels explicitly.

This system is widely used today for educational purposes to teach the phonetics of Ancient Egyptian.

Hieroglyphics were written by combining: Phonetic Symbols representing sounds (e.g., 𓅓 for "m", 𓈖 for "n"), Determinatives indicating meaning (e.g., 𓀀 for "man", 𓉐 for "building"), and Ideograms standing for whole words (e.g., 𓊃 for "sun").

For example, the text 𓇋𓅱𓏏𓀀 (from a sample inscription) might transliterate to "jw.t" (a name) with 𓇋𓅱(j-w) as phonetic elements, 𓏏 (t) as a feminine ending, and 𓀀 as a determinative for "man," showing a person’s identity.

Another example is the word for "Nile," 𓇋𓏏𓂋𓅱𓈗, transliterated as "iteru," where 𓇋𓏏𓂋𓅱 represents the phonetic elements for "i-t-r-w," and 𓈗 is a determinative for "water," indicating the word relates to a river or liquid.

Historically, hieroglyphs were written in rows or columns, read right-to-left, left-to-right, or top-to-bottom depending on context, often with artistic arrangement.

The combination of phonetic symbols, determinatives, and ideograms allowed flexibility—e.g., the same word might use different glyphs based on available space or aesthetic intent.

This multisymbolic approach, unlike alphabetic systems, reflects the cultural and visual richness of Ancient Egyptian writing.