Cuneiform Sign GAM

Enter 120F5 as Unicode hex; the shortcut depends on your app. On Linux/GNOME, press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 120F5, then Enter or Space. In Microsoft Word, type 120F5 and press Alt+X. These shortcuts are current as of 2026-10-08. A font with Cuneiform coverage is also required.

What does Cuneiform Sign GAM mean?

Context decides which reading applies. In Sumerian, GAM can mean “to bend” or “to kneel”; the same sign also carries other readings. The surrounding text determines which value fits, so 𒃵 has no one-word English translation.

The repeated sequence 𒃵𒃵 appears in an Early Dynastic III word list, an early period in Mesopotamian history, that includes a fish name. Other Sumerian word-list entries use it for a profession. A word list records written words; it does not translate the sign by itself.

In Elamite, another ancient language written in cuneiform, scribes used GAM in the first millennium BCE before personal names and other entries. An omen text, which treats events as signs of what may happen, also uses it to mark sections and month entries. These are marker uses in Elamite texts, not translations of the Sumerian readings.

Why does 𒃵 look different in different fonts?

The same sign can have different period styles in different fonts. A Cuneiform font may follow Ur III forms, while another uses an Early Dynastic style. The font changes the drawing, not the encoded character.