How to write “Hieroglyphs” in Hieroglyphs!

Let’s read some Hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the Middle Egyptian word that we translate as “hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏬!” The word “hieroglyph” is a modern word and is not what the ancient Egyptians called their writing system/language. Today we are going to learn the special meaning behind the real name for the ancient Egyptian language!

Before we break down the meaning, are some common ways to write “hieroglyphs” in hieroglyphs: 

𓊹𓌃𓏪

𓊹𓌃𓏬

𓊹𓌃𓌃𓌃

Let’s take a closer look at each of the symbols! This will help us to understand the meaning better! 

The “cloth on a pole 𓊹“ hieroglyph is an ideogram for the word god. 𓊹 is also a triliteral phonogram, and represents the letters “ntr” which may have been pronounced like “neter.” 𓊹 Is also a determinative for “god.” So the “cloth on a pole 𓊹“ symbol can function as all three types of hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪. If you see this symbol, you are most likely looking at a word that has to do with the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹!

The “staff or walking stick 𓌃” functions as both a phonogram (in this word) and as an ideogram (for the word “ staff 𓌃𓏺”). 𓌃 is a triliteral phonogram symbol and represents the sound “mdw” or it can be a biliteral phonogram for “md” in certain cases. This symbol is used in a lot of words that have to do with speech (for example, “Words Spoken By 𓆓𓌃𓇋𓈖”). 

The “three strokes 𓏥,” “three grains of sand 𓏬” and the “three repeated staffs 𓌃𓌃𓌃” symbols are what makes “words/speech” plural in the word! The plural is associated with the sound “w.” Now what’s interesting is that the “staff or walking stick 𓌃” symbol is already “mdw” so this is a case of a phonetic complement too! 

So what does “𓊹𓌃𓏪” actually mean? While we translate it as “hieroglyphs,” the actual phrase in Middle Egyptian is better translated as “God’s Words,” “Divine Speech,” or “God’s Speech.” This makes sense since the god 𓊹 Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 was said to have invented hieroglyphs! 

The word “𓊹𓌃𓏪” would have been pronounced like “mdw ntr” even though “ntr 𓊹” was written first due to honorific transposition! Usually the possessing noun (god’s) is written second, but out of respect for the gods, it was written first but then pronounced second! It’s like how we say “ten dollars ($10)” instead of “dollars ten.”

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