Just for fun
Write Your Name in Hieroglyphs
Type your name and see it spelled in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, inside a royal cartouche, the way scribes wrote the names of foreign kings and queens.
The signs
The hieroglyphic alphabet
Egyptian had hundreds of signs, but about 25 stood for a single sound. These are the ones used to spell names.
How the translator works
It spells your name by sound, one sign per sound, the way Egyptian scribes handled foreign names. When Greek rulers took over Egypt, names like Ptolemaios and Kleopatra had no Egyptian equivalent, so scribes built them from single-sound signs. Those royal cartouches, on the Rosetta Stone and an obelisk from Philae, are what let Champollion crack the script in 1822.
The translator reads sound pairs first (sh, ch, kh, th, ph, ck, qu, ee and oo), then single letters. A soft c before e, i or y becomes an “s”, double letters are written once, and silent letters are kept so the spelling stays recognisable. Read more about the script in our guide to hieroglyphs.
Seeing hieroglyphs for real
Egypt’s temples are covered in them, and the best way to read them is with an Egyptologist beside you. On every Noble Travel journey your private guide reads the cartouches with you, from Karnak’s Great Hypostyle Hall to the tombs of the Valley of the Kings.
Hieroglyphs: FAQs
Is this how an ancient Egyptian would have written my name?
Not exactly. Egyptian writing didn’t record most vowels, and many English sounds didn’t exist. This translator spells your name sound by sound with the hieroglyphic “alphabet” of single-sound signs, the same method scribes used for foreign names such as Ptolemy and Cleopatra. It’s a faithful-in-spirit spelling, not a translation into Egyptian.
What is a cartouche?
A cartouche is the oval loop drawn around a royal name, with a bar at one end. It represents a loop of knotted rope, often read as the king ruling all that the sun encircles, and from the Old Kingdom on it was reserved for the names of kings and some queens. Our guide to cartouches explains more.
Why are some letters the same sign?
Egyptian didn’t distinguish every sound English does. F and V share the horned viper, I and E share the reed, and C or K share the basket. That’s also why double letters are written once: the scribe wrote sounds, not spelling.
What do the seated figures at the end mean?
They are determinatives: silent signs that tell the reader what kind of word came before. A seated man or seated woman after a name marks it as a person’s name. You can switch it on or off.
Where can I see real cartouches in Egypt?
Everywhere royal names appear: on obelisks, temple walls and tomb ceilings. Good places to look closely are Karnak, Luxor Temple, Kom Ombo and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. A private Egyptologist will read them for you on site.
Can I get my name made into a cartouche pendant?
Yes. Silver and gold cartouche pendants engraved with your name are a classic Egypt souvenir, made to order by jewellers in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, often within a day or two. Use this translator to check the signs before you order.
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