How to read each card
Batch color
𒀭 Sign at ~72pt
AN Reading
logogram Function(s)
Batch 1
Cosmic Foundations
The building blocks: sky, earth, water, sun, person, head, house, grain. The universe and the essentials of life in eight signs.
#1
𒀭
AN
Logogram + Determinative
Heaven · God · Sky
logogram: dingir "god"
determinative: divine name
syllable: an
Pictograph: a star radiating light — stars → sky → the divine
Remember: Lines radiating from a center = a star. Before any god's name, this sign whispers "a deity follows." The cosmic ceiling.
#2
𒆠
KI
Logogram + Determinative
Earth · Place · Ground
logogram: ki "earth"
determinative: place name
Pictograph: possibly a plot of land marked with boundary lines
Remember: AN (𒀭) is up, KI (𒆠) is down. The cosmic pair: 𒀭𒆠 AN.KI = "heaven-earth" = the universe. After a word, KI marks it as a geographic place.
#3
𒇽
LU₂
Logogram
Person · Man
logogram: lu₂ "person"
Pictograph: a standing human figure seen from the side
Remember: A stick figure, heavily abstracted. Wherever you see 𒇽, a person is involved. Also half of LUGAL (𒈗) = "great person" = king.
#4
𒊺
ŠE
Logogram
Barley · Grain
logogram: še "barley"
Pictograph: a stalk of grain with an ear of barley
Remember: The Sumerian dollar sign. Barley was food, beer, and wages. "She who controls the ŠE controls the economy." Pronounced "SHEH."
#5
𒌓
UD / UTU
Logogram
Sun · Day · Light
logogram: ud "day"
logogram: utu "sun god"
= Akkadian Shamash
Pictograph: the sun rising over the horizon, with rays
Remember: Dense, burst-like quality = the sun blasting light at dawn. Triple duty: the sun, the day, and the god of justice (Utu/Shamash) who sees all.
#6
𒀀
A
Logogram + Syllabogram
Water
logogram: a "water"
syllable: a
Pictograph: wavy lines representing flowing water
Remember: First sign in the Unicode block (U+12000). Simplest sound, most essential substance. A = water = the beginning of everything.
#7
𒂍
E₂
Logogram
House · Temple · Estate
logogram: e₂ "house"
Pictograph: a floor plan — a rectangular enclosure with an entrance, viewed from above
Remember: A blueprint. Temple names start with E₂: Enlil's temple was E₂-kur ("House of the Mountain"). Scribe school = É.DUB.BA ("House of Tablets").
#8
𒊕
SAG
Logogram
Head · First · Chief
logogram: sag "head"
Pictograph: a human head in profile
Remember: Head → chief, first, beginning. Same semantic extension as English: "head of the line," "headstrong." One of the most stunning signs to watch evolve from clear portrait to abstract wedges.
Batch 2
Signs of Civilization
What people do: eat, speak, build, rule, trade. The verbs and nouns of administrative and royal life.
#9
𒅥
GU₇
Logogram (compound)
To Eat · To Consume
logogram: gu₇ "to eat"
Pictograph: head + bowl at mouth — a compound action sign
Remember: First compound pictograph: two concepts combined to show an action. The original components are not clearly visible in the Unicode form — trust the story for memory, the wedge pattern for recognition.
#10
𒅗
KA
Logogram (polyvalent)
Mouth · Word · Speech
logogram: ka "mouth"
logogram: dug₄ "to speak"
logogram: inim "word"
Pictograph: a head with open mouth / teeth emphasized
Remember: Mouths and what comes out of them. Your first serious polyvalent sign: one sign, three+ readings. Context disambiguates. The body part generated abstract meanings.
#11
𒄀
GI
Logogram
Reed
logogram: gi "reed"
Pictograph: a reed stalk from the southern marshlands
Remember: The sign for the writing system's own tool. The reed stylus makes the wedges. GI = the Sumerian Swiss Army knife (writing, building, weaving, boats).
#12
𒆳
KUR
Logogram
Mountain · Foreign Land · Underworld
logogram: kur "mountain"
logogram: kur "foreign land"
logogram: kur "underworld"
Pictograph: mountain ridges on the horizon — three bumps still somewhat visible
Remember: Sumer was flat. Mountains = the edge of the world = foreign = the beyond. Geography became cosmology. E₂-kur = "House of the Mountain" = Enlil's temple at Nippur.
#13
𒁀
BA
Logogram + Syllabogram
To Give · To Allot · To Distribute
logogram: ba "to give"
syllable: ba
Pictograph: already fairly abstract in early forms
Remember: If ŠE is the dollar sign, BA is "to pay." Sumerian bureaucracy ran on distribution. Part of É.DUB.BA (edubba) — the scribe school where tablets are handed out.
#14
𒈗
LUGAL
Logogram (compound)
King · Ruler
logogram: lugal "king"
Pictograph: compound of LU₂ (person) + GAL (great) = "great person"
Remember: Big + person = king. Honest, almost childlike logic. Kings wrote this on everything — every brick, statue, and foundation deposit. "I, LUGAL so-and-so, built this."
Batch 3
The Sound Barrier
Syllabograms: signs used for their sound, not their meaning. The rebus principle that let cuneiform write anything in any language.
#15
𒈾
NA
Syllabogram (primary) + Logogram
Syllable "na" · (also: stone)
syllable: na
logogram: na "stone"
Pictograph: possibly a stone or pestle
Remember: Nanni the copper merchant slamming his fist on a stone counter. NA = Nanni = stone-cold furious. One of the most common syllable signs in Akkadian.
#16
𒁲
DI
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "di" · (also: judgment)
syllable: di
logogram: di "judgment"
Related to legal/judicial contexts
Remember: DI = DI-cision, judgment. Links thematically to Utu/Shamash (𒌓), the sun god of justice.
#17
𒊏
RA
Syllabogram (primary)
Syllable "ra"
syllable: ra
Used overwhelmingly as a syllable sign
Remember: RA — like the Egyptian sun god (wrong civilization, but memorable). A workhorse syllable sign for building words and spelling names.
#18
𒌅
TU
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "tu" · (also: birth, to enter)
syllable: tu
logogram: tu "to enter/birth"
Related to entering / coming into being
Remember: TU = birth, entry. Something new arrives. The sun god Utu's name could theoretically be spelled TU-TU, though scribes preferred the logogram 𒌓.
#19
𒄿
I
Syllabogram (vowel)
Syllable "i"
syllable: i
Primarily a pure vowel sign
Remember: Collecting vowels: 𒀀 = A, 𒄿 = I. Two of the four main Akkadian vowels (a, e, i, u) down.
#20
𒆷
LA
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "la" · (also: abundance)
syllable: la
logogram: la "abundance"
Can carry a sense of plenty or surplus
Remember: LA = la dolce vita, the abundant life. Now you can combine syllabograms: 𒈾𒊏 = NA-RA. You're building words from sounds.
Batch 4
The Silent Guides
Determinatives: signs that are written but never spoken. They classify the word that follows (or precedes) — telling you "this is a god," "this is made of wood," "this is a city." They are the reading aids scribes left for you across millennia.
Key concept: determinatives
You already know two determinatives: 𒀭 (AN/DINGIR) before divine names and 𒆠 (KI) after place names. Now meet the rest of the system. Determinatives are not pronounced — they're silent classifiers, like capitalizing proper nouns in English or using 氵(water radical) in Chinese characters. They tell you what category a word belongs to before you even read it.
#21
𒄑
ĜIŠ
Determinative + Logogram
Wood · Tree · Wooden Object
determinative: wooden object
logogram: ĝiš "wood/tree"
Pictograph: a tree — trunk with branches
Remember: Before any wooden object — a plow, a boat, a chair, a chariot — you'll see 𒄑. It's like a material label: "the following thing is made of wood." Mesopotamia was timber-poor, so wood was precious and carefully tracked. Pronounced "GISH" as a word, silent as a determinative.
#22
𒍏
URUDU
Determinative + Logogram
Copper · Metal
determinative: metal object
logogram: urudu "copper"
Related to copper/metal — copper was the first widely used metal in Mesopotamia
Remember: Nanni's complaint letter was about copper (URUDU) ingots. Before any metal tool, weapon, or vessel, you may see this determinative. When you spot it, think: "something metal is coming." Copper was the bronze in Bronze Age — alloyed with tin, it built civilizations.
#23
𒊩
MUNUS
Determinative + Logogram
Woman · Female
determinative: female name
logogram: munus "woman"
Pictograph: the pubic triangle — a direct representation of female anatomy
Remember: Just as 𒀭 before a name means "this is a god," 𒊩 before a name means "this is a woman." It also functions as the word for "woman" on its own, paired with LU₂ (𒇽 "man/person"). Sumerian women could own property, run businesses, and serve as priestesses — and their names are marked with this sign.
#24
𒇉
ÍD
Determinative + Logogram
River · Canal · Watercourse
determinative: river/canal name
logogram: íd "river"
Related to flowing water — distinct from 𒀀 A (water in general)
Remember: You already know 𒀀 (A) = water. Now ÍD specifies flowing water — rivers and canals. Before any river name (Tigris, Euphrates, or the countless irrigation canals), you'll find this determinative. Mesopotamia literally means "between the rivers" — those rivers defined everything.
#25
𒌷
URU
Determinative + Logogram
City · Town · Settlement
determinative: city name
logogram: uru "city"
Pictograph: a settlement or walled enclosure — related to urban structure
Remember: Sumer was the world's first urban civilization. Before city names — Ur, Uruk, Nippur, Lagash, Eridu — you'll see 𒌷. Think of it as the ancient equivalent of writing "City of" before a name. You now have two geographic determinatives: URU for cities and KI for places generally.
#26
𒆪
KUŠ
Determinative + Logogram
Skin · Leather · Hide
determinative: leather object
logogram: kuš "skin/leather"
Pictograph: an animal skin or hide
Remember: Before leather goods — sandals, bags, harnesses, shields, drums — this determinative appears. Leather was a major industry. Think of it as the material tag: ĜIŠ = "made of wood," KUŠ = "made of leather." You're learning to read the Sumerian supply chain.
Batch 5
Counting in Sixties
The numeral system — sexagesimal (base-60), the reason we have 60 minutes in an hour and 360 degrees in a circle. Sumerian counting shaped how the world tells time.
Key concept: sexagesimal
Sumerians counted in base 60. This sounds bizarre until you realize that 60 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, and 30 — making it spectacularly useful for dividing rations, measuring fields, and tracking astronomical cycles. Our 60-minute hour, 60-second minute, and 360-degree circle are all direct inheritances from this system. Numbers in cuneiform are built by combining just a few basic marks: a vertical wedge for 1, a corner wedge (Winkelhaken) for 10, and positional notation for higher values.
#27
𒁹
DIŠ / 1
Numeral + Logogram
One · 1
numeral: 1
logogram: diš "one/single"
A single vertical wedge impression — the most elemental mark a stylus can make
Remember: One wedge = one. It doesn't get simpler. This is the atom of cuneiform numerals. You'll see these stacked and grouped to build larger numbers: 𒁹𒁹𒁹 = 3. Administrative tablets are full of these tallies next to commodity signs.
#28
𒈫
MIN / 2
Numeral
Two · 2
numeral: 2
Two vertical wedges side by side
Remember: Two wedges = two. The pattern continues: three wedges for 3, and so on up to 9. After that, the system shifts to a different mark for 10.
#29
𒌋
U / 10
Numeral
Ten · 10
numeral: 10
The Winkelhaken — a corner-shaped impression made by rotating the stylus and pressing its corner into the clay at an angle
Remember: The "corner wedge" or Winkelhaken (German for "angle hook"). A completely different motion from the vertical wedge — the scribe rotates the stylus. One Winkelhaken = 10. Two = 20. Combined with unit wedges: 𒌋𒁹𒁹𒁹 = 13. This two-symbol system (vertical wedge + corner wedge) can express any number.
#30
𒌍
EŠ₅ / 30
Numeral
Thirty · 30
numeral: 30
Three Winkelhaken stacked — each corner wedge worth 10
Remember: Three tens. Thirty is half of 60 (the base), so it appears constantly — halfway points, half-rations, half-measures. The moon god Nanna/Sin had 30 as his sacred number, linked to the roughly 30 days of a lunar month.
#31
𒐏
NIMIN / 40
Numeral
Forty · 40
numeral: 40
Four Winkelhaken — continuing the stacking pattern
Remember: Four corner-wedges. The god Ea/Enki had 40 as his sacred number. Sumerian gods were assigned numbers in a divine hierarchy: Anu = 60 (the highest, the full base), Enlil = 50, Ea = 40, Sin = 30, Shamash = 20. The number system and theology were intertwined.
#32
𒐞
NIŠU / 60
Numeral
Sixty · 60
numeral: 60
Returns to a single large vertical wedge — the base resets, like how 10 in decimal "looks like" 1-0
Remember: Here's the magic: 60 looks like a bigger version of 1. The system is positional — just as "1" in the tens column means 10 in our system, a wedge in the sixties column means 60 in theirs. Anu, king of the gods, had 60 as his number — the complete cycle, the full base. Context and position tell you whether a wedge means 1 or 60.
#33
𒊹
ŠAR₂ / 3600
Numeral + Logogram
3,600 (= 60²) · "Totality"
numeral: 3600
logogram: šar₂ "totality/universe"
A large circular impression — made by pressing the round end of the stylus into clay
Remember: 60 × 60 = 3,600. This is the "square" of the base — a huge number that also meant "totality," "everything," "the universe." When Sargon of Akkad claimed to feed "5,400 men daily," these are the numerals he used. The circle shape distinguishes it from wedge-based numbers — a different stylus motion for a different order of magnitude.
Batch 6
Building the Syllabary
More syllable signs to fill out your phonetic toolkit. With these, you can sound out most common Akkadian words and royal names — the same skill that cracked the code at Behistun.
Key concept: CVC, CV, VC
Cuneiform syllable signs come in three shapes: CV (consonant-vowel, like NA, TU, RA), VC (vowel-consonant, like AN, EN, UR), and CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant, like TAR, KUR, ŠUM). A word like šarrum ("king" in Akkadian) could be spelled ŠA-AR-RU-UM — four CV/VC signs — or more efficiently with CVC signs. Scribes mixed and matched for clarity, space, and convention.
#34
𒁉
BI
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "bi" · (also: to speak, to call)
syllable: bi
logogram: bi "to call"
Functions primarily as a syllabic building block
Remember: BI — think "to BE called." Now you have BA, BI — the B-series is growing. In Akkadian texts, BI shows up constantly in verbal forms and suffixes.
#35
𒊮
ŠA
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "ša" · (also: heart, interior)
syllable: ša
logogram: šà "heart/inside"
Pictograph: possibly related to the interior of the body — the heart or womb
Remember: ŠA = heart, the inside. Think of the English expression "the heart of the matter" — ŠA means the interior, the core. As a syllable, ŠA is critical — it's the first syllable of šarrum (Akkadian for "king"). You can now start spelling that word: 𒊮 + …
#36
𒋻
TAR
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "tar" · (also: to cut, to decide)
syllable: tar
logogram: tar "to cut/decide"
Related to cutting or dividing — decisions as "cuts" between options
Remember: TAR = to cut, to decide. Your first CVC syllable sign — it packs a consonant on both sides of the vowel, making spelling more efficient. "To cut" → "to decide" is the same metaphor as English "to make a cut" or Latin decidere (to cut off). Decisions are cuts.
#37
𒂗
EN
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "en" · Lord · High Priest
syllable: en
logogram: en "lord/priest"
Related to lordship and sacred authority
Remember: EN = lord. A VC syllable (vowel + consonant). The title EN predates LUGAL (king) — in the earliest periods, the EN was the chief priest-ruler of a city. Enki ("Lord of the Earth"), Enlil ("Lord of the Wind") — divine names start with EN. This is one of the oldest and most prestigious titles in human history.
#38
𒉌
NI
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "ni" · (also: oil, fear, awe)
syllable: ni
logogram: ì "oil/fat"
logogram: ni₂ "fear/awe"
Related to oil/fat — a glistening, powerful substance
Remember: NI bridges the physical and the spiritual: oil (precious, used in rituals) and awe/fear (the feeling before the divine). As a syllable, NI completes your N-series: NA, NI. Oil was essential in Mesopotamia — for lamps, cooking, anointing, and trade.
#39
𒌨
UR
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "ur" · Dog · Servant · Base
syllable: ur
logogram: ur "dog"
logogram: ur "base/root"
Pictograph: a dog — possibly seen from above or in profile
Remember: UR = dog, and by extension "servant" or "follower" (loyal as a dog). Also "base" or "root" (the bottom of something). The great city of Ur — one of the world's first major cities, home of the famous ziggurat and traditional birthplace of Abraham — carries this sign in its name. As a VC syllable, UR is everywhere in Akkadian texts.
#40
𒊒
RU
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "ru" · (also: to send, to blow)
syllable: ru
logogram: ru "to send/blow"
Associated with directed motion — sending, dispatching
Remember: RU = to send. Think "route" — sending something on its way. Critical syllabically: you now have RA, RU — the R-series is building. Combined with ŠA (𒊮), you can now spell ŠA-RU — getting close to šarrum ("king" in Akkadian).
#41
𒌝
UM
Syllabogram
Syllable "um"
syllable: um
Primarily a syllabic sign
Remember: UM completes a crucial spelling: 𒊮𒊒𒌝 = ŠA-RU-UM = šarrum, the Akkadian word for "king." You can now write "king" two ways — the Sumerian logogram 𒈗 (LUGAL) or syllabically in Akkadian. This is exactly how real scribes operated: two systems, one script, constant choice.
Batch 7
What Happened
Verbs — the signs that tell you what people did. Built, went, placed, gave, made. Without these, tablets are just lists of nouns. With them, they become stories, records, and laws.
Key concept: verbs as logograms
Sumerian verbs in cuneiform are often written as logograms even in Akkadian texts. A scribe writing in Akkadian might use the Sumerian verb sign and then add Akkadian grammatical endings syllabically — a hybrid approach. Understanding these common verb logograms lets you parse the "what happened" of any text, even before you learn full Akkadian grammar.
#42
𒁺
DU
Logogram (polyvalent)
To Go · To Walk · To Build
logogram: du "to go/walk"
logogram: ĝen "to go" (alt.)
logogram: dù "to build"
syllable: du
Pictograph: a foot or leg in motion — walking
Remember: A foot walking. DU is beautifully polyvalent: "to go" and "to build" seem unrelated until you realize that building is "going at it" — directed action. In royal inscriptions, DÙ ("he built") is one of the most common verbs: "I built this temple, I built this wall, I built this canal." Kings defined themselves by what they built.
#43
𒃻
GAR
Logogram + Syllabogram
To Place · To Put · To Set Down
logogram: gar "to place"
logogram: ninda "bread/food"
syllable: gar
Pictograph: possibly a ration bowl or food container being set down
Remember: GAR = to place, to set down. Also reads NINDA = "bread/food" — because setting down food (placing a ration bowl) was the archetypal act of placing. In administrative texts, GAR appears when things are deposited, assigned, or established. Think: "to lay down" — a foundation, a ruling, a ration.
#44
𒆭
KU₄
Logogram
To Enter · To Bring In
logogram: ku₄ "to enter"
Related to entering or going into an enclosure
Remember: KU₄ = to enter. Pair it with E₂ (𒂍 "house"): "to enter the house," "to bring into the temple." In economic texts, goods "enter" the storehouse — they're received, checked in, deposited. Think of it as the "incoming" stamp on a delivery.
#45
𒂊
E
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "e" · To Go Out · To Leave
syllable: e
logogram: è "to go out"
Represents outward motion — exiting, emerging
Remember: E (è) = to go out. The opposite of KU₄ (to enter). Goods "go out" of the storehouse — they're disbursed, shipped, distributed. You now have a pair: KU₄ = in, È = out. Every warehouse needed both. Also gives you the vowel "e" — three of four Akkadian vowels collected (A, E, I).
#46
𒅆
IGI
Logogram
Eye · To See · Before · In Front Of
logogram: igi "eye"
logogram: igi "to see/before"
Pictograph: an eye — one of the signs where the pictographic origin is still most recognizable
Remember: An eye. Like KA (mouth → speech), the body part generates abstractions: eye → to see → "before" (what is in front of the eyes) → "in the presence of." Legal texts use IGI for "in the presence of witnesses" — seeing is witnessing is authority. Look at 𒅆 and try to see the eye looking back at you.
#47
𒋳
ŠUM
Logogram + Syllabogram
To Give · To Grant
logogram: šum "to give"
syllable: šum
Related to the act of giving, granting, bestowing
Remember: ŠUM = to give. You already know BA (to allot/distribute). ŠUM is more personal — a gift, a grant, a divine bestowal. "The god gave him kingship" would use ŠUM. It's the difference between a bureaucratic disbursement (BA) and a meaningful gift (ŠUM). A CVC syllable sign too — efficient for spelling.
#48
𒌉
DUMU
Logogram
Son · Child · Offspring
logogram: dumu "son/child"
Pictograph: a child or infant — small figure, possibly on the mother's body
Remember: DUMU = son/child. Royal inscriptions are obsessed with lineage: "So-and-so, LUGAL of Ur, DUMU of So-and-so." King, son of king, son of king. DUMU is how dynasty is written. Combined with MUNUS (𒊩 "woman"), DUMU.MUNUS = daughter. Combined with LUGAL: DUMU.LUGAL = prince ("child of the king").
#49
𒈬
MU
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "mu" · Name · Year
syllable: mu
logogram: mu "name"
logogram: mu "year"
Related to naming and commemoration
Remember: MU = name and year. These are connected: Sumerians named their years after major events. "The year the king built the wall of Ur" — that's how dates work in many periods. MU starts the date formula. Also the word for "name," which is everything in royal ideology: to have your name endure is to achieve immortality. "May his MU endure forever."
#50
𒅎
IM
Syllabogram + Logogram
Syllable "im" · Clay · Wind · Tablet
syllable: im
logogram: im "clay/wind"
determinative: clay object
Related to clay and wind — elemental forces
Remember: IM = clay = wind = tablet. Clay and wind seem unrelated until you consider that both are elemental, formless forces that are shaped into something useful. Clay becomes a tablet; wind becomes weather. As a determinative, IM before an object means "made of clay." The medium of cuneiform itself is IM — every tablet you'll ever read is made of it.
#51
𒊬
SAR
Logogram + Syllabogram
To Write · Garden · A Surface Measure
logogram: sar "to write"
logogram: sar "garden"
syllable: sar
Related to inscribing or marking a surface
Remember: A fitting sign to end on: SAR = to write. The act you are learning to understand. "Garden" and "surface measure" connect through the idea of a marked-out area — a plot inscribed with boundaries, a surface inscribed with wedges. Writing and land surveying were both acts of making marks that mattered. The scribe's art and the surveyor's art, unified in one sign.