Biliterals

Biliterals are the hieroglyphs commonly used to stand for two individual consonant sounds, and replace two uniliteral hieroglyphs, greatly shortening the word.

For example, the Biliteral replaces the Uniliterals and

They are two consonants, and the ancient Egyptians never wrote vowels, so one can only guess as to which vowel was used between the consonants, and it is more than likely that it changed depending upon the usage.

Hieroglyphs, as well as standing for letters in the spelling of words, can be words in their own right, in two main ways. They can be used as a pictograph, to stand for what they depict, and when this is done they are usually drawn above a short verticle line. They can also be used as ideographs, either as a word in their own right, or as a Determinitive. See Grammar?.

Hieroglyph	Transliteration	Pictograph	Ideographic Meaning
	aa	Wooden column	Great
	ab, mr	Chisel
	adj	Weaver's shuttle
	ak	Cormorant	Helpful
	akh	Crested Ibis
	aw	Spine with spinal cord at each end
	ba	Jabiru	Spirit
	cha	Oxyrhynchus fish
	chn	Two arms rowing with an oar
	chr	Butcher's block
	dja	Fire drill
	djd	Reed column	Enduring
	gb	White-fronted goose
	gm	Black Ibis
	ha	Clump of papyrus
	hb	Plough
	hdj	Stone mace	Bright
	hm	Launderer's club
	hs	Ceramic water jar
	ib	A goat kid.
	ib	A heart	Heart
	ir	An eye
	is	Bundle of reeds
	iw	A newborn calf
	ja	Duckling
	ka	Two arms raised	Soul
	km	Crocodile scales
	kha	Lotus lily
	kha	Sunrise over a mountain	appears, appearance
	kht	Tree branch with twigs	Body
	khu	An arm holding a flail
	ma	Sickle
	mi	Milk jug with carrying net	Like
	mn	Gaming board	Eternal
	mr	Canal	beloved, loved
	mr	Hoe	beloved, loved
	ms	Three fox skins
	mt	Penis
	mt	Vulture
	mu	Water with ripples or waves
	nb	Basket
	nh	Guinea fowl
	nm	Butcher's Knife
	nu	Ceramic pot
	pa	Pintail duck flying
	pa	Pintail duck landing
	pr	Plan of a house	home, house
	ph	A lion's hindquarters
	ru	Recumbant lion
	sa	Pintail duck	Son
	sa	Cattle hobble
	sk	Fibre swab
	sn	Arrowhead
	sp	Threshing floor with grain
	su	Sedge plant
	sha	Pool with flowers
	shd	Water skin
	shn	Looped Cord
	shs	Looped cord
	shu	Feather
	ta	Strip of flat land with sand
	ta	Kiln
	ti	Pestle
	tm	Sledge
	un	A hare
	up	Ox horns
	ur	Swallow
	wa	Lasso
	wdj	Cord wound on a stick