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Akkadian Babylonian · Akkadian cuneiform

Akkadian Babylonian Alphabet

Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language of Mesopotamia, known from clay tablets (about 2500 BCE to the first century CE); Babylonian is its southern dialect. Cuneiform writes it with syllable signs (ba, bi, bu...) and with logograms borrowed from Sumerian (LUGAL for šarrum, É for bītum). Words are given in normalised transcription: š (sh), ṣ and ṭ (emphatics), ḫ (like ch in loch), long vowels with a macron or circumflex, and the case ending -um. Pronunciation is reconstructed. If the glyphs show as boxes, your device lacks a Cuneiform font (for example Noto Sans Cuneiform).

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Common syllable signs

𒀀asyllable asign name A
𒄿isyllable isign name I
𒌋usyllable u ('and'; also number ten, sign U)sign name U
𒁀basyllable basign name BA
𒁉bisyllable bisign name BI
𒁍busyllable busign name BU
𒈠masyllable masign name MA
𒈪misyllable misign name MI
𒈬musyllable musign name MU
𒈾nasyllable nasign name NA
𒉌nisyllable nisign name NI
𒉡nusyllable nusign name NU
𒆷lasyllable lasign name LA
𒇷lisyllable lisign name LI
𒇻lusyllable lusign name LU
𒊏rasyllable rasign name RA
𒊑risyllable risign name RI
𒊒rusyllable rusign name RU
𒋫tasyllable tasign name TA
𒋾tisyllable tisign name TI
𒌅tusyllable tusign name TU
𒁕dasyllable dasign name DA
𒁲disyllable disign name DI
𒁺dusyllable dusign name DU
𒊭šasyllable šasign name ŠA
𒋗šusyllable šusign name ŠU
𒅗kasyllable kasign name KA
𒆪kusyllable kusign name KU
𒀭ansyllable an; also the logogram AN/DINGIR 'god'sign name AN
𒌝umsyllable umsign name UM; ends many nouns: -um
𒌈tumsyllable tumsign name TUM
𒌨ursyllable ursign name UR

15 common words

𒈗šarrumkinglogogram LUGAL; syllabic šar-rum is also found
𒂍bītumhouselogogram É (E2)
𒀭ilumgodlogogram DINGIR (AN); syllabic i-lum
𒇽awīlumman, free manlogogram LÚ; syllabic a-wi-lum is also common
𒌝𒈬𒌝ummummothersyllabic um-mu-um; spelling typical, unverified in detail
𒀊𒌝abumfathersyllabic ab-um; spelling typical, unverified in detail
𒌉mārumsonlogogram DUMU (TUR)
𒀀mûwaterlogogram A (plural noun, mû)
𒀭šamûsky, heavenlogogram AN; the plural is used
𒆠erṣetumearth, landlogogram KI
𒌓ūmumdaylogogram UD; also read ūm
𒋗𒇻𒌝šulmumwell-being, peacesyllabic šu-lu-um (šu + lu + um); a common simplified spelling, unverified in detail
𒁕𒉡𒌝dannumstrongsyllabic dan-nu-um; spelling typical, unverified in detail
𒂍𒃲ekallumpalacelogogram É.GAL
𒁾ṭuppumtabletlogogram DUB