Cuneiform Sign Na

Its reading changes with language and context. Sumerian texts use it for na, “stone”; Akkadian scribes mainly use it for the syllable na. In some Standard Babylonian texts (a form of Akkadian), uppercase NA is a Sumerogram—a conventional sign for a whole word—meaning awīlum, “free man.”

Cuneiform writing began around 3300 BCE as a practical system for keeping administrative records. A lexical tablet from Nippur dated ca. 1900–1600 BCE preserves the sign in Sumerian word lists; it is a later witness, not an origin date for 𒈾.

Why can 𒈾 have several readings?

Cuneiform signs can represent syllables, words, or grammar. The language and neighboring signs show which reading fits; in transliteration, lowercase na marks the syllable and uppercase NA the word-sign.

In Hittite scribal practice, the sequence I-NA was a conventional spelling of the preposition anda, “in.” The two signs work as a grammatical unit; here 𒈾 is not naming stone.

Why does 𒈾 look different in some fonts?

Fonts can show the sign in different historical styles. Cuneiform sign lists show NA in Old Babylonian lapidary (cut into stone), Old Babylonian cursive (handwritten), and Neo-Assyrian forms. These are styles of one sign, not separate meanings; a tablet photo, handcopy, and digital font can look different while the sign identity stays the same.