Common Ancient Egyptian Phrases and Words
a'nekh djet!
Ancient Egyptian live for ever!
admiral
Ancient Egyptian imey-er-a'hew
ankh
Ancient Egyptian a symbol meaning life, often used in the expression Ankh! Udja! Seneb! which is frequently employed to wish the King of Egypt Life! Strength! and Health!
architect
Ancient Egyptian qed m. qedet f.
Aw ibek
Ancient Egyptian (or aw ibetj when speaking to a woman) - may your heart rejoice!
baker
Ancient Egyptian retehtey m. retehtet f.
baket
From the Middle Egyptian /bkt/ - a female servant. Submitted by Katherine
beautiful
Ancient Egyptian nefer, also can mean good
brother
Ancient Egyptian sen
captain
Ancient Egyptian sekhrey
citizen
Ancient Egyptian niewet
daughter
Ancient Egyptian sat
Dua Netjer en ek!
Ancient Egyptian Thank you! (or "Thank God for you!" - to a man),Dua Netjer en etj! - to a woman.
Egypt
Ancient Egyptian Kemet
Em heset net Ra
Ancient Egyptian be in favor with Ra! (or pick any other god)
Em Hotep
Ancient Egyptian with or in peace, this is frequently used as a greeting.
Em hotep nefer
Ancient Egyptian in great peace!
Em hotep nefer weret
Ancient Egyptian in very great peace!
farewell
Ancient Egyptian senebty
father
Ancient Egyptian it
general
Ancient Egyptian imey-er mesha'
god
Ancient Egyptian neter, netjer goddess netjert
great
Ancient Egyptian wer
haitey
Ancient Egyptian Mourner
hatey-a'
Ancient Egyptian nomarc or chief
heart
Ancient Egyptian ib, ab
hello
Ancient Egyptian iiti
hem, hemet
Ancient Egyptian husband, wife Hem Netjer, Hemet Netjer Gods servant or wife
hem-ek
Ancient Egyptian Your Majesty, (hem-etj to a female pharaoh)
herey-tep
mayor, heret tep f. mayor
hi
yeh
house
per
ib
Egyptian heart
iiti
hello!
iiwy
Egyptian welcome
ikey
Stonemason
imey-er
overseer
imey-er-a'ha'ew
admiral
imey-er-mesha'
general
Imi-ib
Middle Egyptian: "heart's desire." In usage, one's beloved or darling. Submitted by Katherine
it
father
itja
thief
Kemet
word for Egypt
lady
nebet
land
ta
leader
seshmew
life
ankh, a symbol often used in the expression Ankh! Udja! Seneb! which is frequently employed to wish the King of Egypt Life! Strength! and Health!
lord
neb
medjay
In function, the guards of the western deserts. Traditionally, the name was attached to the specific tribe of nomads who operated between Nubia and Egypt in the western deserts. They pledged fealty to the Egyptians during the Hyksos period, as they were the ones who intercepted the well-known letter between the Nubians and Hyksos which formed the alliance against Kamose at the beginning of the 18th Dynasty. In reward, Kamose rewarded the Medjay by making them part of the royal guards for sacred lands. Not quite police, not simply security, the Medjay were a quasi-paramilitary force dedicated strictly to royal house concerns (Sources: Lacovara and Markowitz. 2000. Crime and Punishment. In D.B Redford, (ed.), Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, I: 319. Oxford: Oxford University Press) Submitted by Katherine
merchant
shewtey
mewet
mother
midwife
tjemset
mother
mewet
mourner
haitey
neb
lord, Neb-i my Lord
nebet
lady, Nebet-i my Lady
nefer
Ancient Egyptian beautiful or good
Nefer sedjmek
(or nefer sedjmetj when addressing a woman) - may you hear only good things! (a common ending for letters)
netjer, netjret,
god m., goddess f.,
niewtey
Citizen
Nisu
royal One, King, if used alone sometimes Nesew
niwet
town
nomarc
hatey-a'
nome
sepat
overseer
imey-er
peace
hetep or hotep, often used in the greeting em hotep - in peace
per
a house, n.b. the great house, Per aA became synonymous with the Peraa, or Pharaoh of Egypt.
pet
sky
physician
sewnu
pr anx
Middle Egyptian: "the house of life." A repository of written knowledge used by priest, noble, and king. In short, a sacred library containing the sum of knowledge.
qed
architect, qedet f.
retehtey
Baker retehtet f.
royal
nisew, nisu m. nisut f.
sa, sat
son, daughter
sailor
seqdew
scribe
sesh
sD n Drt
A towel.
sedjauty
sedjauty, sealbearer or treasurer sedjaut,f.
sekhrey
Captain
sekhtey
weaver sekhtet f.
sen, senet
brother, sister
Senebti
(be well) farewell
sepat
nome
seqdew
Sailor
sesh
scribe
seshmew
leader
sewnu
physician
shewtey
Merchant
sister
senet
sky
pet
soldier
Ancient Egyptian wa'ew
son
sa
sSn
Middle Egyptian for the blue and white water lily flowers found in the Nile, colloquially and modernly called the "Egyptian lotus." In botanical terms, Nymphaea caerulea (blue) and Nymphaea savigny (white). See more on 'lotus' in this section (and/or the dictionary).
stonemason
ikey
ta
land, tawy
-
thief
itja
tjatey
Vizier
tjemset
Midwife
treasurer
Ancient Egyptian sedjauty m. also sealbearer sedjaut,f.
wa'ew
Soldier
weaver
sekhtey m. sekhtet f.
wer
great
wife
Ancient Egyptian hemet, hemet netjer is God's wife, or servant
xpS
Middle Egyptian: curved sword of the New Kingdom, with an inner cutting surface. Colloquially known today as a "sickle sword", it dffers from the Arabic/Tukish scimitar due to its inner cutting edge. Most popular during the Ramesside period (Hoffmeier 2000. Military Materiel. In D.B. Redford, (ed), Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt II: 408. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
yeh
hi