What 𒇸 means
It has several readings, not one standalone translation.
In Sumerian sign lists, the sign has readings including lil and sukuₓ. Entries gloss lil as “fool” or “ghost” and sukuₓ as “height”; those are context-specific lexical entries, not one fixed translation for every tablet.
Read the surrounding word, language, and period before choosing among them. A sign list records possible values; a lone Unicode character identifies the sign but cannot tell you which value a historical scribe intended.
Why is 𒇸 in Enlil and Ninlil?
It supplies the LIL element in some spellings of both names.
EN.LIL and NIN.LIL are Sumerian spellings of Enlil and Ninlil. In them, 𒂗 (EN) and 𒎏 (NIN) provide the first element; 𒇸 provides LIL. The sign’s standalone glosses do not translate either divine name.
Cuneiform was used for administrative records by Uruk IV, with wedge-shaped impressions pressed into clay using a reed stylus. A 2011 paleographic study called proposed Uruk IV spellings speculative and reconstructed Uruk III Enlil as EN.KID/NUN and Ninlil as E₂.NUN; the cited Early Dynastic evidence remained uncertain. Around Ur III, E₂ could also write LIL in Enlil. These are historical spelling proposals, not interchangeable signs.
Why can 𒇸 look different?
Unicode stores the sign identity; a font draws one historical style. Fonts may target different periods, while Unicode’s reference forms are mainly Ur III. A changed silhouette can reflect style, not a changed reading.
If the character appears as a square, question mark, or blank, the current font lacks a glyph; a cuneiform-capable font can display it. The encoded character itself stays the same.
Specialist and historical; alone, it reads as a reference sign, not an ordinary message.
Don’t assign “fool,” “ghost,” or “height” to the isolated sign without its word and period.
Who writes 𒇸
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What it means when someone sends it to you
4 readingsIdentify the sign; the glyph does not choose a translation.
Related characters
2
Combination ideas
2Questions people ask
2Does 𒇸 mean wind?
No. “Wind” is a disputed interpretation of Enlil’s name, not a standalone gloss to apply to this sign.
Why does 𒇸 appear as a square or blank?
The font in your app lacks a glyph; a cuneiform-capable font can supply one. That display failure does not change the character.
More like this
9
How to type or find 𒇸
- Also called
- LIL · LÍL
- Search it as
- lil2 · enlil · ninlil · Sumerian · cuneiform · fool · ghost · font
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
𒇸\121F8Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.