Ra 𓇳𓏺

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the name of the Egyptian god “Ra 𓇳𓏺.” 

Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛 was the sun 𓇳 god 𓊹, and was responsible for the rising of the sun 𓇳. He is often represented in Egyptian art as a falcon with a sun disc on his head or as just a sun disc. This is very similar to how Ra’s name is written in hieroglyphs! 

Let’s take a closer look at the name:

𓇳𓏺 – Ra

𓁛 – Ra

“𓇳𓏺” is the version of the name that appears most commonly in inscriptions. The name can appear without the “stroke 𓏺” and be written with just the “sun disc 𓇳,” however, the stroke symbol was normally added for aesthetics and spacing and in this case does not add any sound to the word!

“𓁛” appears more in the cartouches of pharaohs than actual written text and is a less common variant of Ra’s name. 

While the symbols appear different, they both have the same phonetic value of “Ra.” 

Let’s break down the symbols: 

The “𓇳 sun disc” symbol is an ideogram for “ra” or “re,” but can also be a determinative in words such as sun, today, and for words associated with time. The single symbol alone (like in cartouches) would be pronounced like “ra” or “re.”

The “stroke 𓏺” hieroglyph is used at the end of words when there is a bit of space left over – it’s all for the aesthetic! This symbol is not pronounced here, it is solely used for punctuation/aesthetic purposes! 

The “falcon with the sun disc 𓁛” symbol is both a determinative and ideogram for “Ra.” 

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