Cuneiform Sign KAL

In Sumerian, it can write kalag, “strong,” but KAL has other readings. A cuneiform sign is a unit in a writing system, not a picture with one permanent caption. Language, period, and nearby signs help show whether KAL stands for a word or a sound.

The earliest cuneiform tablets, around 3300 BCE, recorded goods and rations. KAL’s own early trail is debated: scholars have identified an archaic Uruk form as KAL or as GURUŠ. An archaic Ur form has been argued to descend from that Uruk form; spellings include zíd-KAL and ninda-KAL.

Cuneiform began with word signs, developed signs for syllables, and was later used to write Akkadian and other languages. A sign's reading therefore depends on the language and text, not just its name.

Does 𒆗 always mean “strong”?

No. “Strong” is one Sumerian reading, not the sign’s full meaning. Other listed word readings include Sumerian lamma, used in divine spellings read lammar (“deity”), Akkadian šēdu (“spirit”), and Akkadian dannu (“strong”). These belong to particular words and contexts; a bare KAL cannot carry them all at once.

Why does 𒆗 look different in another font?

Unicode fixes the character; the displayed style can vary by font. The Unicode 16.0 chart gives a reference drawing, not one required historical style. Fonts may model traditions such as Neo-Assyrian or Old Babylonian writing, so the glyph can differ from a tablet image without becoming a different character.

If it appears as an empty box, try a font with cuneiform coverage.