The “Lotus Plant” Hieroglyph

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the “lotus plant 𓆼” symbol! The “lotus plant 𓆼” has many functions in Middle Egyptian and it is a symbol you will see a lot! It is a biliteral phonogram and represents the sound “ḫ3.”

Some words that can be written with the “lotus plant 𓆼” are:

𓆼𓅡𓋴𓇼𓇼𓇼 – Starry Sky

𓆼𓏏𓉐𓏭 – Office

𓐍𓆼𓄿𓏏𓁣 – Illness/Disease

𓋴𓆼𓄿𓀁 – To Remember

The most common way you will see the “lotus plant 𓆼” symbol used is when it is used as an ideogram to represent the number “one thousand 𓆼.” For example: 

𓆼 – 1,000

𓆼𓆼 – 2,000

𓆼𓆼𓆼 – 3,000

Used in a sentence (the Offering Formula), it looks like this:

𓉓𓆼𓏐𓏊𓆼𓃾𓅿𓆼𓍱𓋲

“ A voice offering 𓉓 (of) a thousand 𓆼 bread 𓏐 and beer 𓏊, a thousand 𓆼 ox 𓃾 and fowl 𓅿, a thousand 𓆼 alabaster 𓍱 and linen 𓋲.”

The Offering Formula on stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏦 and False Doors will be the most common way you will see this symbol in inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥! 

The “lotus plant 𓆼” symbol can also be simply used as an ideogram for the word “lotus plant 𓆼𓏺.”