N; Sky, earth and water

The hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt are often listed in groups of associated glyphs. The following hieroglyphs have been grouped according to the system established by Sir Alan Gardiner and are all depictions of images associated with the sky and earth.

N1 Phon; Hr(j) or hrw (rare) Det and Log; heaven, Nut	N2 Det and Log; night, darkness	N3 Det and Log; night, darkness	N4 Det and Log; dew, rain, rainstorm
N5 Det and Log; sun, time, day, hour, to rise	N6 Det and Log; sun	N7 Abbr; the course of a day	N8 Det and Log; sunshine, to shine Abbr; "the people of the sun"
N9 Phon; psD Log; feast of the new moon	N10 Phon; psD Log; feast of the new moon	N11 Phon Det; aH Log; moon Abbr and Det; month, palm width	N11a Det; month
N12 Det; moon	N13 Log; feast of the half moon	N14 Phon; sbA, dwA Log; star, Sothis, Sirius, constellation	N15 Log; afterworld
N16 Phon; tA Det and Log; land, earth, eternity	N17 Phon; tA Det and Log; land, earth, eternity	N18 Det and Log; island, horizon, desert	N19 Abbr; Harakhte
N20 Phon wDb Det; sandbank	N21 Det; land, shore	N22 Det; sandbag, land, field	N23 Det; land, irrigated land
N24 Det and Log; garden nome, nome of Thinis	N25 Det and Log; foreign land, desert, desert land, land of Retjen"	N26 Phon; Dw Log; mountain	N27 Log; horizon
N28 Phon; ha Log; crown, hill of the sunrise	N29 Phon; q Det and Log; hill	N30 Det and Log; hill of earth	N31 Det and Log; path, to climb up, position, here, army Abbr; Horus Phon Det; Hr, wA
N32 Phon Det; sjn	N33 Det; sand, grain of metal, mineral, gold, medicine, black eye paint, a small sphere, something dangerous, enemy	N33a Det; mineral (plural)	N34 Det and Log; copper, bronze, an item made of copper or bronze, a metal mirror
N35 Phon; n	N35a Phon; nw Det and Log; water, wave, to drink, to wash	N36 Phon; mr, mj Phon Det; mr Det and Log; canal, to love, Nile, river, lake	N37 Phon; S Log; pool
N38 Phon; S Log; pool	N39 Phon; S Log; pool	N40 Abbr; go	N41 Phon; Hm Phon Det; bjA well, marsh, pool, cow, vagina
N42 Phon; Hm Phon Det; bjA well, marsh, pool, cow, vagina

Codes

Abb; the sign is an abbreviation of a word,
Det; the sign acts as a determinative (it has no phonetic value, but provids further information about the full word),
Log; the sign is a logogram (it represents an entire word or idea),
Phon; the sign has a phonetic value, and
Phon Det; the sign is a phonetic determinant (it acts as a determinative but also has a phonetic value).

A: Man and his occupations
B: Woman and her occupations
C: Anthropomorphic Deities
D: Parts of the body
E: Mammals
F: Parts of Mammals
G: Birds, 1
H: Parts of Birds
I: Amphibious Animals, Reptiles, etc.

K: Fishes and Parts of Fishes
L: Invertebrata and Lesser Animals
M: Trees and Plants
N: Sky, Earth, Water
O: Buildings and Parts of Buildings
P: Ships and Parts of Ships
Q: Domestic and Funerary Furniture

R: Temple Furniture and Sacret Emblems
S: Crowns, Dress, Staves, etc
T: Warfare, Hunting, Butchery
U: Agriculture, Crafts and Professions
V: Rope, Fibre, Baskets, Bags, etc.
W: Vessels of Stone and Earthenware
X: Loaves and Cakes
Y: Writing, Games, Music
Z: Strokes, Geometrical Figures, etc.
Aa: Unclassified

Return to Gardiner's sign list

Pronunciation guide