Cuneiform Sign Ushx

It can write “blood/gore” or “to die.” The scholarly transliteration uš stands for two different Sumerian words: one means “blood” or “gore,” the other “to die.” The surrounding word—and the writing convention of the scribal school—determines which one is intended. Alone, the sign cannot settle the translation.

Cuneiform uses wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets. This exact sign is attested in texts from Early Dynastic IIIa, an early Mesopotamian period. In 24th-century BCE word lists from Ebla, an ancient Syrian city, it appears in animal terms. Order matters in compounds: 𒍖𒂵 has tradition-dependent readings, while 𒂵𒍖 is an attested bird term.

Why does 𒍖 look like MUNŠUB?

Compare the wedges in the final diamond. On tablets from the Mesopotamian sites Fāra and Tell Abū Ṣalābīḫ, UŠX has one horizontal wedge inside its final diamond; MUNŠUB has two. Copies from Ebla do not apply this distinction consistently, so the drawing alone may not settle which sign a tablet shows.

How do I type 𒍖?

Use Unicode input or a character picker. In Microsoft Word, enter 12356 and press Alt+X. In other apps, use a Unicode character picker if direct entry is unavailable.

If it appears as a box or a different historical drawing, your font may lack the glyph or use a different design. Unicode identifies the character; the font draws the wedges.