A smaller set of signs writes three consonants. You have met several already as words: the ankh, the sign for “good”, the offering mat. Like the biliterals of Biliteral Signs, they are sound signs as well as word signs.
Key idea
| Sign | Code | What it shows | Reads | Found in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 𓋹 | S34 | sandal strap (the ankh) | ꜥnḫ | ꜥnḫ “life; live”; also ꜥnḫ “mirror” |
| 𓄤 | F35 | heart and windpipe | nfr | nfr “good, beautiful” |
| 𓊵 | R4 | loaf on a reed mat | ḥtp | ḥtp “offering; be content” |
| 𓊹 | R8 | cloth on a pole (a temple flag) | nṯr | nṯr “god” |
| 𓆣 | L1 | scarab beetle | ḫpr | ḫpr “become” |
| 𓋾 | S38 | crook | ḥqꜣ | ḥqꜣ “ruler” |
| 𓄊 | F12 | head and neck of a canine | wsr | wsr “powerful” |
| 𓐙 | Aa11 | platform | mꜣꜥ | mꜣꜥ “true”, mꜣꜥt “Maat” |
| 𓊤 | P8 | oar | ḫrw | ḫrw “voice” |
| 𓋞 | S12 | bead collar | nbw | nbw “gold” |
The scarab is a fine example. The dung beetle was called ḫprr, and its sign writes ḫpr in the verb “to become, come into being”. The sun god in his morning form, Khepri, and many royal names (Thutmose III’s throne name mn-ḫpr-rꜥ) use it.
Why it works
Common mistake
Worked example: Three sounds
- S38, a shepherd’s crook.
- It writes ḥ, q and ꜣ.
Answer: ḥqꜣ “ruler, rule”
Worked example: How many consonants?
- It writes nṯr: n, ṯ, r.
Answer: 3
Many triliterals are also word signs for the word they write. The flag 𓊹 alone, or with the seated god, is nṯr “god”; the bead collar 𓋞 alone is nbw “gold”; the crook with complements and a seated man is ḥqꜣ “ruler”. Whether a sign is acting as a sound sign or as a word sign, its reading stays the same, so learn the three consonants first.