Egyptian Hieroglyph M17: Reed leaf
KEMET VAULT / HIEROGLYPH REFERENCE / SOURCE-REVIEWED SIGN
Gardiner M17 is a reed leaf, encoded as U+131CB. Unicode identifies its phonographic value with the Egyptological yod, generally transliterated ꞽ in the reference adopted here. It is one of the signs that demonstrate why popular charts labeled ‘the Egyptian alphabet’ are only introductions to a much more flexible writing system.
At-a-glance sign record
| Gardiner catalogue | M17 |
|---|---|
| Unicode | U+131CB |
| Sign family | M · Trees and plants |
| Common function | One-consonant phonogram |
| Conventional value | ꞽ (Egyptological yod) |
Recognising the sign: shape and variants
The classical sign resembles a tall, slender leaf standing upright. Its Unicode glyph is a typeset representative shape rather than a facsimile from a dated papyrus. Vertical, monumental and cursive versions can differ, and a student should check the surrounding writing before identifying an apparently narrow stroke as this specific sign. The same family includes M17A, a distinct encoded reed-pair sign with different scholarly treatment.
How the sign works in Egyptian writing
M17 often contributes a single consonantal element in spellings. Textbooks use several transliteration conventions for sounds commonly represented by i, j or Egyptological yod, and that typography should not be confused with English vowel pronunciation. Most Egyptian hieroglyphic spellings do not directly specify the vowels in the way a modern English reader expects. A second sign may reinforce part of the spelling as a phonetic complement, a practice UCL illustrates in its teaching examples.
A reading exercise, with its limits
Reading exercise: copy the M17 glyph and record its conventional transliteration ꞽ alongside the Unicode name. When reading a word such as the conventional transcription of the god Amun (ꞽmn), identify which signs form the consonantal sequence in the particular source before adding pronunciation vowels for classroom convenience. This is a transliteration example, not a claim that the reed alone names the god.
Compare it with other genuine signs
Compare M17 with N35, the water ripple. The latter commonly writes n, a clearer one-to-one consonantal value for beginners. A reed pair (M17A) also has a separate Unicode character and may carry a different value, so replacing one with the other merely because both look like plants is unsafe. The exact encoded sign and the intended linguistic context matter.
What this sign cannot tell us
The reed leaf is not a universal picture meaning ‘reed’, ‘plant’ or the modern English letter I in every inscription. It may contribute a conventional Egyptian phonetic sign rather than a lexical picture. Similarly, Romanized spellings of historical royal names are editorial conveniences, and the Egyptian and Greek transmission of names can complicate matching them to single hieroglyphs.
A common question about M17
Is the M17 reed leaf the English letter I?
Not exactly. It is an Egyptian phonogram usually transliterated with Egyptological yod (ꞽ) in the Unicode reference. Its pronunciation and context should not be reduced to the English vowel I.
Verified references and further reading
This dossier uses the official Unicode sign identification and academic explanations of Egyptian writing. It is an educational sign-level reference, not a claim to decipher a specific unexamined monument or recover a lost pronunciation.
- Unicode Consortium, Egyptian Hieroglyphs character names and standard values (including M17)
- UCL Digital Egypt, The System of Egyptian Hieroglyphic Writing
- UCL Digital Egypt, a worked introduction to phonograms and meaning signs
- UCL Digital Egypt, Egyptian sound-sign reference
Browse the original 136-sign Hieroglyphic Explorer or read the source-based study of Egyptian scribes and scripts for wider historical context. The explorer is an index; individual profiles provide dedicated research guidance for the six reviewed signs.
Evidence review: 3 November 2026. Unicode identity and proposed standard sign value checked; actual inscriptions can have contextual or orthographic variation.