Type a name or short phrase to spell it with the uniliteral Egyptian hieroglyph alphabet. Put it in a royal cartouche, write it in rows or columns, then copy the Unicode hieroglyphs or download a PNG.
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Letter breakdown
Hieroglyph alphabet key click a sign to add it
Numerals
Signs use the Unicode Egyptian Hieroglyphs block, shown with the free Noto Sans Egyptian Hieroglyphs font. This is a phonetic spelling (transliteration), not a translation into the ancient Egyptian language.
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How to use the Hieroglyphics Translator
Type a name or phrase in the box. The hieroglyphs update as you type.
Choose the spelling: Sound rules turns CH, SH, KH, PH and soft C into the matching Egyptian sounds; Letter by letter maps every letter on its own.
Pick a frame and layout: add a cartouche, write in rows or columns, and set the reading direction.
Check the breakdown under the result to see which sign stands for which letter.
Copy or download: copy the Unicode hieroglyphs or press Download PNG to save an image in the style and size you chose.
The hieroglyph alphabet used for names
Ancient Egyptian writing mixed three kinds of signs: uniliterals that stand for one consonant, biliterals and triliterals that stand for two or three consonants, and determinatives that show the meaning of a word without being pronounced. When Egyptologists write a modern name in hieroglyphs they use the roughly two dozen uniliteral signs, often called the hieroglyph alphabet. This tool does the same. Egyptian scribes themselves spelled foreign names, such as Ptolemy and Cleopatra on the Rosetta Stone, with these one-sound signs.
English
Sign depicts
Gardiner code
Egyptian sound
A
Egyptian vulture
G1
ꜣ, a glottal stop, used for "a"
B
Foot
D58
b
C, K
Basket with handle
V31
k
D
Hand
D46
d
E, I
Reed leaf
M17
i (y)
F, V
Horned viper
I9
f
G
Jar stand
W11
hard g
H
Reed shelter
O4
h
J
Cobra
I10
ḏ (dj)
L
Lion
E23
rw, used for l in late names
M
Owl
G17
m
N
Water ripple
N35
n
O
Lasso
V4
wꜣ, a common modern choice for "o"
P
Stool
Q3
p
Q
Hill slope
N29
ḳ (q)
R
Mouth
D21
r
S
Folded cloth
S29
s
T
Bread loaf
X1
t
U, W
Quail chick
G43
w
Y
Two reed leaves
M17A
y
Z
Door bolt
O34
z (later s)
CH
Tethering rope
V13
ṯ (tj)
SH
Pool of water
N37
š (sh)
KH
Placenta or sieve
Aa1
ḫ (kh, as in Scottish loch)
Sound rules or letter by letter?
Egyptian writing recorded sounds, mostly consonants, so spelling by sound gives a more authentic result. With Sound rules on, the tool writes CH, SH and KH with their own signs, turns PH into the viper (f), uses the folded cloth for a soft C (Cecilia, Grace), writes QU as k + w, writes a long EE with two reeds, and drops doubled consonants, because scribes did not write a consonant twice. Letter by letter maps each English letter to one sign, which is easier to decode for puzzles, classroom worksheets and escape rooms.
Reading direction and cartouches
Hieroglyphs face the start of the line: if the owl and the vulture look left, you read from left to right. Right to left was the most common direction, and long texts were often written in columns read from top to bottom. Choose Right to left (mirrored) to turn the signs around the way a scribe would. Royal names were enclosed in a cartouche, an oval loop of rope with a tie at the end; it sits at the end of the name, so it appears on the right for left-to-right text, on the left for right-to-left text, and at the bottom of a column.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a real translation into ancient Egyptian?
No. It transliterates: it spells the sounds of your text with Egyptian alphabet signs, the way modern Egyptologists write foreign names. Translating meaning into the Middle Egyptian language needs vocabulary, grammar and determinatives that a letter chart cannot provide.
Why do some letters share the same hieroglyph?
Egyptian writing had no separate signs for some English sounds. C and K both use the basket (k), F and V share the horned viper, E and I share the reed leaf, and U and W share the quail chick. X is written as k + s.
What is a cartouche?
A cartouche is the oval loop with a bar at one end that surrounded the names of Egyptian kings and queens. It represents a loop of rope and was believed to protect the name written inside it.
Which direction should hieroglyphs be read?
Hieroglyphs could be written left to right, right to left or in columns. You read toward the faces of people and animals: if the birds face left, start reading from the left. Right to left was the most common direction in ancient Egypt.
Why do I see empty boxes instead of hieroglyphs?
Your device needs a font that contains the Unicode Egyptian Hieroglyphs block. The tool loads the free Noto Sans Egyptian Hieroglyphs font; if it cannot load, Windows uses Segoe UI Historic and most phones have a built-in Noto font. The PNG uses the same font as the preview.
Can I paste the hieroglyphs into social media or a document?
Yes. Copy hieroglyphs puts real Unicode characters on your clipboard. They display wherever the reader's device has a hieroglyph font, which most modern phones and computers do. For guaranteed looks, use the PNG.
How were numbers written in hieroglyphs?
Egyptians used a decimal system with separate signs for 1 (a stroke), 10 (a heel bone), 100 (a coil of rope), 1,000 (a lotus), 10,000 (a finger), 100,000 (a tadpole) and 1,000,000 (the god Heh). Each sign is repeated as many times as needed.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.