Language Trip

Alphabets β€Ί Sumerian

Sumerian Β· Sumerian cuneiform

Sumerian Alphabet

Sumerian is an extinct language written on clay tablets in southern Mesopotamia (about 3200 to 2000 BCE, later kept alive as a scholarly language). Cuneiform means 'wedge-shaped'. Many signs stand for a whole word (a logogram) and also have syllable values. Readings here are lower case (the Sumerian word), sign names are in capitals, following the ePSD convention. 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 signs

π’€­anAN / DINGIR: sky, godalso the star-shaped divine determinative
π’ˆ—lugalLUGAL: kinglit. big man
𒂍éÉ: house, temple
𒃲galGAL: big, great
𒇽lΓΊLÚ: person, man
π’Œ‰dumuDUMU (TUR): child; sign name TUR, smallreading dumu = child, tur = small
π’€€aA: water, also seed
𒆳kurKUR: mountain, foreign land
π’† kiKI: earth, place
π’Œ“udUD: day, sun, (also) when
π’ŽninNIN: lady, mistress
π’…—kaKA: mouth
π’‹—Ε‘uΕ U: hand
𒃻garGAR / NINDA: to place; breadreading ninda = bread; sign name unverified (GAR)
π’ˆ¬muMU: name, year
𒁺duDU: to go, to come
π’‚΅gaGA: milk
π’„€giGI: reed
π’Š•sagSAG: head
π’…†igiIGI: eye, front
𒍣ziZI: life, breath
π’†œkaskalKASKAL: road, journey
π’„žgudGUD: ox, bull
π’Œ·uruURU: city
π’‚—enEN: lord, high priest
𒁲diDI: judgement
𒁾dubDUB: clay tablet
π’‹›siSI: horn
π’‚ eΕ‘EΕ : rope, three-ish
π’€ŠabAB: cow, sea

15 common words

π’ˆ—lugalkingsigns: LUGAL
𒂍𒃲é-galpalace (great house)signs: Eβ‚‚+GAL
π’€­dingirgodsigns: AN
𒇽lΓΊperson, mansigns: LUβ‚‚
π’Œ‰dumuchild, sonsigns: TUR
π’‚Όamamothersigns: GAβ‚‚+TIMES+AN
π’€€awatersigns: A
𒆳kurmountain, landsigns: KUR
π’† kiearth, placesigns: KI
π’€­anskysigns: AN
π’Œ“udday, sunsigns: UD
π’Žninladysigns: NIN
π’…—kamouthsigns: KA
π’‹—Ε‘uhandsigns: SHU
𒃻nindabreadsigns: GAR (sign name unverified)