In Triliteral Signs you saw extra signs after a two- or three-consonant sign. These are phonetic complements: one-consonant signs that repeat sounds already written, to make the reading certain.
Key idea
A phonetic complement repeats one or more consonants of a bigger sign beside it. It is not read a second time: 𓄤𓆑𓂋 is nfr, not “nfrfr”.
| Spelling | Big sign | Complements | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 𓄤𓆑𓂋 | nfr | f, r | nfr |
| 𓋹𓈖𓐍 | ꜥnḫ | n, ḫ | ꜥnḫ |
| 𓊵𓏏𓊪 | ḥtp | t, p | ḥtp |
| 𓆣𓂋 | ḫpr | r | ḫpr |
| 𓄊𓋴𓂋 | wsr | s, r | wsr |
| 𓏠𓈖 | mn | n | mn |
| 𓋾𓈎𓄿 | ḥqꜣ | q, ꜣ | ḥqꜣ |
How to spot them
- A small one-consonant sign right after (or under) a bigger sign, repeating a sound of it, is almost always a complement.
- Complements most often repeat the last consonant (mn + n) or the last two (nfr + f r, ꜥnḫ + n ḫ).
- Sometimes a complement comes first and repeats the first sound, as the folded cloth s before the ear sign in sḏm “hear”.
Why it works
Why repeat a sound? Many signs look alike, and some have more than one reading. A complement says “this sign is read with an r at the end”, which rules out other readings. It also filled out the square groups that scribes liked (see Groups and Quadrats).
Common mistake
Reading the complements as extra consonants, so 𓄤𓆑𓂋 becomes “nfrfr”. The f and r only confirm the reading. Check: compare the letters you have with the big sign; if a small sign repeats one of its letters, read that letter once.
Complements are a gift to the beginner. When you meet an unfamiliar big sign followed by small one-consonant signs, the small signs tell you how the big sign ends, and often that is enough to recognize the word. In a sign list, the usual complements are given with each sign for exactly this reason.
Worked example: Read it
Read 𓆣𓂋.
- The scarab writes ḫpr.
- The mouth r repeats its last sound: a complement.
Answer: ḫpr “become”
Worked example: Two complements
Read 𓄊𓋴𓂋.
- The head and neck of a canine writes wsr.
- The folded cloth s and the mouth r repeat its last two sounds.
Answer: wsr “powerful”
Worked example: Count them
In 𓋾𓈎𓄿𓀀 ḥqꜣ “ruler”, how many signs are complements?
- The crook writes ḥqꜣ.
- The hill slope q and the vulture ꜣ repeat its last two sounds.
- The seated man is a determinative, not a complement.
Answer: 2