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Ancient Egypt
Five Names of Pharaoh
Predynastic Egypt
First Dynasty
Hieroglyphic Alphabet
Books On Egypt
Introduction
Ancient Egyptian History
Hieroglyphs
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The Ancient Egyptian Alphabet
It is believed that the phonetic sounds of the spoken language
evolved in the form of writing we call Hieroglyphs. To represent sounds for the written word, the scribes of Egypt
used pictures. For example, The sound of N in the language was given the picture of water, the word for water was
NET. N being the first letter of the word, the pictorial representation of water was therefore understood to be
the phonetic sound of N.
|
Picture
|
of
|
Sound
|
Written
|
Example of use
|
Translation
|
|
|
vulture
|
A
|
|
|
ani - to remove
|
|
|
reed
|
I
|
|
|
abt - cake
|
|
|
arm
|
AH
|
|
|
abut - ropes
|
|
|
quail
|
W or U
|
|
|
ubent - the place where sun rises
|
|
|
leg and foot
|
B
|
|
|
bari - boat
|
|
|
reed mat
|
P
|
|
|
pep = to go
|
|
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viper
|
F
|
|
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feqa - to reward, bribe
|
|
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owl
|
M
|
|
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mut - suicide
|
|
|
water
|
N
|
|
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naqi - great
|
|
|
mouth
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R
|
|
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rerut - sow or pig
|
|
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courtyard
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H
|
|
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hrar - day
|
|
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rope
|
emphatic H
|
|
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hau - followers
|
|
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sieve
|
KH
|
|
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khept - lion
|
|
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animal belly
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KH, KHA
|
|
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kharb - to pound
|
|
 or
|
cloth or bolt
|
S
|
|
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sash - to prick up ears
|
|
|
garden pool
|
SH
|
|
|
shau - shade
|
|
|
hill
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throaty K
|
|
|
qah - masonry
|
|
|
cup or basket
|
K
|
|
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kefa - to pour out
|
|
|
jar stand
|
G
|
|
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genkha - luminary
|
|
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loaf
|
T
|
|
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tekhes - to kill
|
|
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tether rope
|
TH
|
|
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thest - tie a knot
|
|
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hand
|
D
|
|
|
tenemm - to turn back
|
|
|
snake
|
TCH
|
|
|
tchat - handful of water
|
|
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