Cuneiform Sign E

Its reading changes with the language and the word around it.

In Sumerian, 𒂊 can carry the syllabic value written e; as a word sign, eg₂ means a raised bank or irrigation ditch, and a verbal form linked to dug₄, “to speak,” also uses it. Akkadian scribes could use it for the syllable e or as the Sumerogram E, a Sumerian word sign read īkum (“dyke” or “ditch”). Here e, eg₂, and E are scholarly Latin transliterations: they label readings, not alternate glyphs.

Cuneiform’s earliest complete writing system is first attested at Uruk around 3500–3200 BCE, initially used largely to record goods, quantities, and administration. Around 3000 BCE, phonetic signs helped it write names and speech as well. Akkadian speakers later adopted the system, keeping many Sumerian signs while using them to write Akkadian words. This is the system’s history, not a date for the first use of 𒂊.

What does 𒂊 mean when someone sends it to you?

By itself, it identifies a cuneiform sign, not a complete reading.

Ask which language or word it comes from. With no surrounding signs, the glyph alone cannot tell you whether the sender means its syllabic value or one of its word readings.

Why is 𒂊 different from 𒂍?

They are separate signs, not spelling variants.

𒂊 is E; 𒂍 is E₂, the distinct Sumerian sign for “house” or “temple.” The subscript in E₂ distinguishes its scholarly transliteration from E.

As of 2026, missing font support can show 𒂊 as a white box, a question-mark box, a fallback code point, or blank space. This usually means the app lacks a suitable font; a font with cuneiform coverage should render the character.