Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs — Symbols & Meanings Copy & Paste

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs are one of the oldest writing systems in the world, dating back over 5,000 years. These pictorial symbols decorated temple walls, papyrus scrolls, and monumental structures across ancient Egypt. Today, you can use them digitally thanks to their inclusion in the Unicode standard.

Whether you are studying ancient history, creating themed designs, or just fascinated by these iconic symbols, this guide covers the most important Egyptian hieroglyphs and how to use them.

What Are Hieroglyphs?

Hieroglyphs (from the Greek "hieros" meaning sacred, and "glyphein" meaning to carve) were the formal writing system of ancient Egypt. Unlike alphabetic scripts where each letter represents a sound, hieroglyphs could represent sounds (phonograms), ideas (ideograms), or determinatives that clarify meaning.

The ancient Egyptians used over 700 hieroglyphic symbols throughout their history. The system was used from approximately 3200 BCE until around 400 CE, when it was gradually replaced by the Greek alphabet and later Arabic script.

Essential Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Here are the most commonly used Egyptian hieroglyphs with their meanings. These are all available as Unicode characters you can copy and paste.

People and Body Parts

Animals and Nature

Objects and Symbols

The Uniliteral Signs (Egyptian Alphabet)

Egyptian hieroglyphs included 24 uniliteral signs — symbols that each represented a single consonant sound. These are the closest thing ancient Egypt had to an alphabet. Here they are in Unicode form:

𓄿 (A) 𓇋 (I/Y) 𓅱 (W/U) 𓃭 (L) 𓈖 (N) 𓂝 (Ayn) 𓎛 (H) 𓎛 (H) 𓐍 (Kh) 𓊪 (P) 𓊃 (S) 𓈎 (K) 𓎡 (K) 𓎼 (G) 𓏏 (T) 𓏌 (Tj) 𓂧 (D) 𓆓 (Dj) 𓈗 (M) 𓂋 (R) 𓄡 (H) 𓊵 (H) 𓏏𓏏 (T) 𓆑 (F) 𓃀 (B) 𓋴 (S)

Note that Egyptian hieroglyphs did not write vowels — only consonant sounds were recorded. This is why the same symbol can represent multiple related sounds.

Famous Egyptian Symbols and Their Meanings

The Ankh (𓋹) is perhaps the most recognizable Egyptian symbol. Shaped like a cross with a loop at the top, it represents eternal life. Gods and pharaohs are often depicted holding the ankh to the lips of the deceased, symbolizing the gift of immortality.

The Eye of Horus (𓁹) represents protection, healing, and restoration. According to mythology, the god Horus lost his eye in battle with Set, and it was restored by Thoth. The symbol was worn as an amulet for protection.

The Djed Pillar (𓊝) symbolizes stability and the backbone of Osiris. It represents strength, endurance, and the permanence of the pharaoh's rule.

How to Type Hieroglyphs

Egyptian hieroglyphs are included in Unicode (block: U+13000 to U+1342F). Most modern devices can display them, though you may need an updated font. The easiest way is to copy them from this page. On Windows, you can use Character Map. On Mac, the Character Viewer includes them under "Hieroglyphs."

For more ancient symbols, explore our Ankh symbol guide and our collection of ancient spiritual symbols and their meanings.