It’s hard to not be fascinated by the hieroglyphics that were found throughout ancient Egypt.

The pictographs and symbols were part of more than 1,000 characters, and were utilized as a formal writing system in Egypt dating back to 3200 B.C.

The video show Japanese calligrapher Tohgutakumi elegantly creating a set of 26 characters, representing the English language, all with cleanly drawn hieroglyphics.

What a unique way to communicate. Via LS:

Watch as a skilled calligrapher translates the English language into distinct hieroglyphics.

While the ancient Egyptian writing system, hieroglyphics, doesn’t map directly to our modern English alphabet. However, scholars have developed an approximate transliteration system that assigns Egyptian hieroglyphs to corresponding phonetic sounds or letters in English.

Here’s a simplified version of the English alphabet with approximate Egyptian hieroglyphic equivalents, using uniliteral (single-consonant) signs, which are the closest thing to an alphabet in Egyptian writing:

English LetterHieroglyphic SoundDescription
Aꜣ (Ah/Glottal stop)Vulture
BbFoot
Ck or sBasket (k) or Folded cloth (s)
DdHand
Eỉ (I or Y sound)Reed leaf
FfHorned viper
GgJar stand
HhReed shelter
IReed leaf
JCobra
KkBasket
LrMouth (Egyptian lacked “L” sound)
MmOwl
NnWater ripple
Oꜣ or wVulture or Quail chick (for “oo”)
PpStool
QqHill slope
RrMouth
SsFolded cloth
TtBread loaf
UwQuail chick
VfHorned viper (no native “v” sound)
WwQuail chick
XksBasket + Folded cloth combo
YReed leaf
Zs or ẓFolded cloth or Door bolt (for emphatic Z)


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4 Comments

  1. arcb42633

    That was very interesting. Thanks so much for sharing this with me.

  2. Elle Eve

    I have no idea of the sources you cull for your fantastic posts, but this a pretty amazing one!

    Every day, I look forward to my Moss & Fog. You make it a great start to every.single.day!

  3. Elle Eve

    I have no idea of the sources you cull for your fantastic posts, but this a pretty amazing one!

    Every day, I look forward to my Moss & Fog. You make it a great start to every.single.day!

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