Egyptian nouns have a plural ending (you will learn its forms in the nouns unit), but the script often shows “more than one” in other ways too. This lesson is about the writing; it builds on Logograms and the Stroke.
Key idea
| Writing | How it shows the plural | Reads |
|---|---|---|
| 𓉐𓏥 | word sign + three strokes | prw “houses” |
| 𓊹𓊹𓊹 | word sign written three times | nṯrw “gods” |
| 𓂋𓅓𓍿𓀀𓁐𓏥 | determinatives + three strokes | rmṯ “people” (a group) |
The ending -w is often left out of the writing even when the word is plural; the strokes or the tripled sign do the work, and the transliteration supplies it: prw, nṯrw. Some words, like rmṯ “people”, take plural strokes because they name a group, even though they are grammatically singular.
Feminine plurals are written the same ways. The plural strokes may follow the ending t and the determinative, and the transliteration then writes the full ending -wt, as you will see in The Plural. Whatever the writing, the reading rule is simple: if you see three strokes or a tripled sign, translate a plural.
Why it works
Common mistake
Worked example: Transliterate
- The flag is nṯr “god”.
- Written three times: plural. The plural ending of a masculine noun is -w.
Answer: nṯrw “gods”
Worked example: Singular or plural?
- One stroke: the word sign marker.
Answer: singular: pr “house”
Worked example: Singular or plural?
- Three strokes: the plural.
Answer: plural: prw “houses”