Cuneiform Sign Gashan

It writes “lady” or a related female title.

Cuneiform is an ancient writing system made from wedge-shaped marks. In Sumerian, one of the languages written in it, this sign is read gašan; a fuller spelling is ga-ša-an. In Akkadian, another ancient Mesopotamian language, GAŠAN is a Sumerogram: a Sumerian sign that stands for the Akkadian word bēltum, “lady” or “mistress,” instead of spelling its pronunciation sound by sound.

English translations may use “lady,” “mistress,” or, depending on context, “queen.” Let the surrounding language and sentence decide; the sign alone is not a complete sentence or a personal name.

How did GAŠAN develop?

It evolved as a decorated form of U, the sign for “ten.”

Historical sign analysis describes GAŠAN as a gunû, or “decorated,” form of U, the Sumerian sign for “ten.” Extra strokes turn U into a separate conventional sign. Sign lists also record UGUN₂/UGUNU₂ alongside GAŠAN, which explains why “decorated” appears in accounts of its form.

The outlines are not identical across records. Handwritten forms on Hittite tablets can differ from sign-dictionary drawings; these traditions preserve related shapes rather than one mandatory outline.

Why does 𒃽 look different in another font?

The font and historical hand can change the outline, not the character.

Unicode identifies one character here, not one mandatory clay-tablet drawing. A font can arrange its wedge strokes differently.

Historical scribal hands add another source of variation: Hittite tablet forms discussed in paleography do not always match sign-dictionary drawings. Read the language and sentence, not the outline alone, to tell whether GAŠAN is the Sumerian word gašan or an Akkadian Sumerogram for bēltum.