Ik (cuneiform)

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Ik is a common cuneiform sign (also read iq) found in the Amarna letters, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and other cuneiform texts, including Hittite writings. In the Amarna letters it is often used for iq and helps spell Akkadian qabû, meaning "to speak," especially in the dialogue with the pharaoh. The sign is linguistically flexible: it can stand for the sounds k, q, or g, and it can replace any of the vowels a, e, i, or u. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, ik appears with several readings, including ik, ek, ig, iq, eq, and IG, with ik being the most frequent.