Cuneiform sign KAK

It can mean “build” or “nail,” depending on context.

In Sumerian, an ancient Mesopotamian language, the scholarly reading du₃ can mean “build,” “raise,” “make,” “plant,” or “fasten.” The readings gag/kak can name a “nail,” “peg,” “point,” “stud,” or “arrowhead.” Akkadian, another Mesopotamian language, also used the sign for Sumerian words and for syllabic sounds.

A cuneiform sign can write a whole word or a syllable, so this glyph has no single English translation by itself. Read the surrounding signs and language before settling on a gloss.

What is the earliest written evidence for KAK?

A tablet from Uruk III already records KAK.

A surviving lexical tablet from Uruk places KAK among entries in a list of signs and words, part of scribal learning in ancient Mesopotamia.

Cuneiform scribes also made distinct signs by combining components: 𒅯 is named KA×KAK, and 𒆖 is KAK×IGI GUNU. Period-specific fonts draw cuneiform differently, so the same encoded sign can have noticeably different outlines.