Unas 𓃹𓈖𓇋𓋴

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the name of the last pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of the 5th Dynasty, Unas 𓃹𓈖𓇋𓋴. 

Let’s break down the name:

𓃹𓈖 – wn(n)

𓇋 – ı͗

𓋴 – s

While his name would be transliterated as “wnnis,” his name is always written as Unas. The “w” and “u” in Egyptian is almost always interchanged to make it more pronounceable to us!

Let’s break down each of the symbols:

The “hare 𓃹” is normally used as a phonogram, which means that it is a symbol that represents sounds, and is usually part of a larger word! The hare 𓃹 is a biliteral sign which means it represents two consonants. The 𓃹 represents the sounds “wn.”

The “ripple of water 𓈖” is also a phonogram sign, except it is uniliteral sign, which means that it just represents one consonant. The “𓈖” is associated with the sound of “n!” Here it is used as a phonetic complement, meaning it will add emphasis to the sounds of the symbol that comes before it. 

The “reed 𓇋” is a uniliteral phonogram for “ı͗,” however it can also function as an ideogram for the word “reed 𓇋𓏺.”

The “folded cloth 𓋴” is a uniliteral phonogram for “s.”

One of the best ways to practice reading hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 (especially phonogram symbols) is to read the cartouches of some of the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 from the Old Kingdom! The reason why they are great to practice phonogram symbols is because the names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 are very phonetic!

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