Acquaintance, Knowledge, and more in Hieroglyphs!

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! 

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at an interesting word (𓂋𓐍𓏏 – rḫt) that has many meanings depending on its determinative hieroglyph 𓊹𓌃! The determinative symbol is the last symbol in a word 𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁 that helps to summarize the meaning of the whole word 𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁! 

In the context of the inscription 𓎘𓅱𓎖 in the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, this word 𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁 means “acquaintance 𓂋𓐍𓏏” and the full inscription 𓎘𓅱𓎖 is the title of “King’s Acquaintance 𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏.” In the title, the determinative in the word “acquaintance” is not written! Usually, when you see 𓂋𓐍𓏏 on its own without a determinative, it means “list 𓂋𓐍𓏏.” 

However, just like any language, simple small words can act as the root of bigger words or phrases! Pay attention to the determinatives at the end of some of these words and how they can relate to each other in some way! Let’s take a look at some of them: 

𓂋𓐍𓏏 – List

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓂝 – To Wash Clothes

𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏 – King’s Acquaintance (Title)

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓏛 – Female Friend, Female Acquaintance

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓏛 – Knowledge, Number, Amount 

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓏛𓏦 – Knowledge, Number, Amount, List (notice how this version has two determinatives – the “𓏦” is making it plural)

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓐍𓏏𓏛𓏜 – The Wise

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓎟𓏏 – More, Most

Let’s breakdown the symbols:

The “mouth 𓂋” symbol functions most commonly as a uniliteral phonogram and is used to represent the sound “r.” It can also be used as an ideogram for the word “mouth 𓂋𓏺.” 

The “placenta or sieve 𓐍” symbol is a uniliteral phonogram and is associated with the sound “ḫ.” This symbol is actually considered “unclassified” because Egyptologists actually don’t know what it exactly represents! 

The “flat loaf of bread 𓏏” is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound “t.” It also functions as the ideogram for the word “bread 𓏏𓏺” and can be used to make words feminine when placed at the end of the word!