𒀝𒅗𒁺𒌝

Akkadian

Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, East) · historical / hidden variety

FamilyAfro-Asiatic (Semitic, East) SpeakersExtinct ScriptCuneiform CountriesMesopotamia (Iraq) Official inBabylonian, Assyrian empires Vitalityextinct ISO 639-3akk

Akkadian (𒅖 lišānum akkadītum) was the lingua franca of the ancient Near East for two millennia (c. 2500 BCE–100 CE), the language of the Akkadian Empire under Sargon (c. 2334 BCE), the Babylonian Empire (Hammurabi's Code, c. 1754 BCE), and the Assyrian Empire. Recorded in cuneiform borrowed from Sumerian, Akkadian preserves vast legal codes, royal annals, scientific treatises (mathematics, astronomy, medicine), and literary works including the Epic of Gilgamesh in its Standard Babylonian recension (c. 1200 BCE). Includes Babylonian and Assyrian dialects. As an East Semitic language it is the only well-attested member of that branch — all other major Semitic languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge'ez) are West Semitic.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Akkadian

Water

𒀀

muː

Fire

𒉈𒌋

iʃaːtu

Sun

𒀭𒌓

ʃamʃu

Moon

𒌗

warχu

Star

𒀯

kakːabu

Night

𒈬𒋗

muːʃu

Rain

𒍪𒌦𒉡

ˈzunnu

Snow

𒊭𒀠𒄖

ʃalɡu

Wind

𒊭𒀀𒊒

ʃaːru

Earth

𒅕𒍢𒌅

ˈersˤetu

Stone

𒀊𒉡

abnu

Mountain

𒆳

ʃaduː

Sea

𒀀𒀊𒁀

tiaːmtu

Mother

𒌝𒈬

umːu

Father

𒀊

abu

Daughter

𒈥𒌅

maːrtu

I

𒀀𒈾𒆪

anaːku

You

𒀜𒋫

atːa

We

𒉌𒉡

niːnu

Name

𒈬

ʃumu

Person

𒀀𒉿𒈝

awiːlu

Head

𒊕𒆕

qaqːadu

Eye

𒅆

iːnu

Ear

𒍑𒉡

ˈuznu

Nose

𒀊𒁍

appu

Mouth

𒅗

puː

Tooth

𒅆𒅔𒉡

ʃinːu

Tongue

𒇷𒊭𒉡

liʃaːnu

Hand

𒋗

qaːtu

Foot

𒄊

ʃeːpu

Heart

𒇷𒅁

libːu

Bone

𒂊𒍢𒅎𒌅

esˤemtu

Blood

𒁕𒈬

daːmu

Poop

𒍪𒌑

zuː

Love

𒊏𒄠

raːmu

Tree

𒄑

isˤu

Dog

𒌨𒁇

kalbu

Cat

𒋗𒊏𒉡

ʃuraːnu

Fish

𒄩

nuːnu

Bird

𒅖𒍪𒊒

isˤsˤuːru

Egg

𒉭

peːlu

Bear

𒊍

asu

Horse

𒀲𒆳𒊏

sisuː

House

𒂍

biːtu

Milk

𒅆𒅖𒁍

ʃizbu

Honey

𒁲𒅖𒁍

diʃpu

Salt

𒋰𒌅

tˤaːbtu

Wine

𒅗𒊏𒉡

karaːnu

Iron

𒁇𒍣𒅋𒇻

parzillu

Wheel

𒈠𒃻𒊒

maɡarru

Eat

𒀀𒅗𒇻

akaːlu

Drink

𒊮𒌅

ʃatuː

Sleep

𒍝𒆷𒇻

sˤalaːlu

One

𒁹

iʃteːn

Two

𒈫

ʃina

Three

𒐈

ʃalaːʃ

Four

𒐉

erbe

Five

𒄩𒈩

χamiʃ

Hundred

𒈨𒀜

meʔat

Hello

𒁲

ʃulmu

Thank you

𒁲𒌅

taʃlimtu

Good

𒄭𒄀

damqu

New

𒉋

eʃːu

Red

𒊓𒀀𒈬

saːmu

White

𒌓

pesˤuː

Black

𒍝𒀠𒈬

sˤalmu

Green

𒅊

warqu

Sushi

𒅆𒅅𒄣

ʃiqːu

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, East)

Meaning AkkadianUgariticPhoenicianOld AramaicPunicMandaicProto-Semitic
Water 𒀀 /muː/ 𐎎𐎊 /maju/ 𐤌𐤌 /meːm/ מין /majin/ 𐤌𐤌 /meːm/ ࡌࡉࡀ /mia/ *māʔ- /māʔ/
Fire 𒉈𒌋 /iʃaːtu/ 𐎛𐎌𐎚 /ʔiʃt/ 𐤀𐤔 /ʔeʃ/ נור /nuːr/ 𐤀𐤔 /ʔeʃ/ ࡍࡅࡓࡀ /nura/ *ʔiš- /ʔiš/
Sun 𒀭𒌓 /ʃamʃu/ 𐎌𐎔𐎌 /ʃapʃ/ 𐤔𐤌𐤔 /ʃameʃ/ שמש /ʃamʃ/ 𐤔𐤌𐤔 /ʃameʃ/ ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ /ʃamʃa/ *šamš- /šamš/
Moon 𒌗 /warχu/ 𐎊𐎗𐎈 /jaːriχ/ 𐤉𐤓𐤇 /jaraħ/ שהר /sahr/ 𐤉𐤓𐤇 /jeraħ/ ࡎࡉࡓࡀ /sira/ *warḫ- /warḫ/
Star 𒀯 /kakːabu/ 𐎋𐎁𐎋𐎁 /kabkabu/ 𐤊𐤊𐤁 /koːkab/ כוכב /kawkab/ 𐤊𐤊𐤁 /koːkab/ ࡊࡅࡊࡁࡀ /ˈkukba/ *kawkab- /kawkab/
Night 𒈬𒋗 /muːʃu/ 𐎍𐎍 /lajlu/ 𐤋𐤋 /lajl/ לליא /leːljaː/ 𐤋𐤋 /lajl/ ࡋࡉࡋࡉࡀ /lilja/ *layl- /lajl/
Rain 𒍪𒌦𒉡 /ˈzunnu/ 𐎎𐎉𐎗 /maːˈtˤaru/ 𐤌𐤈𐤓 /maˈtˤar/ 𐡌𐡈𐡓 /maːtˤar/ 𐤌𐤈𐤓 /maˈtˤar/ — *maṭar- /maṭar/
Snow 𒊭𒀠𒄖 /ʃalɡu/ 𐎂𐎍𐎘 /ɡalθu/ — 𐡕𐡋𐡂 /talɡ/ — ࡕࡀࡋࡂࡀ /talɡa/ *ṯalg- /θalɡ/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Akkadian
anāku erriš labāšu lubāri ša amuru ina bīti mehret bīt nubatti
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 で 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
我 想 试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 里 看到的 那套西装
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with languages in the same classification

Akkadian
anāku erriš labāšu lubāri ša amuru ina bīti mehret bīt nubatti
𓅓𓂋𓏏|mrt 𓇋|.j 𓅓𓂝𓂝|mꜣꜣ.n.j 𓎛𓃀𓋴|ḥbs 𓅓 𓅱𓇋𓂝𓏏|m wjꜥ.t 𓂋 𓉐|r-ḥꜣ.t pr
ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲉⲓⲟⲩⲱϣ ⲛⲧⲁϣⲉⲡ ⲟⲩϩⲃⲥⲱ ⲉⲧⲁⲓⲛⲁⲩ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲁⲡⲟⲑⲏⲕⲏ ⲙⲡⲉⲙⲧⲟ ⲙⲡⲙⲁⲛϣⲱⲡⲉ
أنا أبي أجرب البدلة اللي شفتها في المحل مقابل الفندق
Ina so in gwada rigar ‌da na gani a shago gaban hotel

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